SPORTS SECTION E
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2018
Miller-Uibo, Page 2
Truckers to face Wildcats in ladies’ championship DAVIS: GSSSA EAGER TO GET SEASON T STARTED NEXT MONTH
By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net
his will probably be a birthday celebration that Shevette Taylor won’t forget anytime soon. Last night on her 30th birthday in the Banker’s Field at the Baillou Hills Sporting Complex, Johnson’s Lady Truckers’ third sacker Taylor drilled a 1-1 pitch off deep to left centrefield fence. This resulted in the Lady Truckers breaking up a 12-12 tie to score pinch runner Mika Bain from third with the game-winning 13-12 walk-off-the-field victory in the bottom of the seventh inning over the youthful Platinum Pool Lady Sharks to secure their berth into the New Providence Softball Association ladies’ championship series.
In what many fans felt was one of the most exciting games played this season, the two teams met in the fifth and deciding game of their semi-final series. It went right down to the wire with Taylor coming through in the clutch situation and propelling the Lady Truckers into the best-ofseven finals that are scheduled to begin Saturday night against the defending champions Sunshine Auto Lady Wildcats. “This one was sweet. I had a feeling that I was going to leave the park. I did it in the last playoff game on my birthday,” said Taylor of the shot that looked as if it went over the fence. Unfortunately, it only hit the fence and although Taylor circled the bases for what looked like a grand slam homer, it was only ruled a run-producing single as the Lady Truckers only needed to
score the run on third to secure the win. However it was ruled, Taylor still celebrated as if it was a homer. “I hit four homers in a tournament, so I knew it was a good chance that I could hit another one,” she stated. “I didn’t expect it with the bases loaded. I’ve never done that before. When I saw the bases loaded, that gave me more motivation to go in the batter’s box and swing hard.” Now as they prepare for the final, Taylor said they will have to take it one game at a time. “It’s a best-of-seven series, but you don’t talk this, you go out there and play it between the lines,” Taylor stated. Back to the clincher, Taylor’s hit came after Coline Russell led off with a single and eventually scored the tying run on an error.
A LADY Trucker in action.
SEE PAGE 4
Bengals top the Ravens 34-23
CINCINNATI Bengals wide receiver Tyler Boyd (83) breaks away from Baltimore Ravens linebacker Patrick Onwuasor (48) to score a touchdown in the first half last night in Cincinnati. SEE THE FULL STORY ON PAGE 4 (AP Photo/Frank Victores)
By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net FOLLOWING their initial meeting with the general body, Government Secondary Schools Sports Association president Varel Davis said they are eager to get the 2018/19 season started next month. Davis, who was elected during the last school year to her second consecutive term in office, said they will get started with volleyball on Monday, October 1. That will be followed by cross country on Saturday, October 6. Basketball will follow when the new year rolls in, then the GSSSA will concentrate on track and field, soccer, softball for girls and baseball for boys. “I am anticipating that this year will be bigger and better than last year,” Davis said. “We actually went out last year and we are hoping to make it even bigger and better this year.” One of the things that they didn’t accomplish in her last administration was the coaches-athletes banquet. “Hopefully we will be able to do it this year,” she said. This year, Davis said they will welcome some new coaches into the system and there are some changes with players switching around from one school to another. Among some of the changes of note are Daniel Pratt in from Grand Bahama and is at CV Bethel, Tiffany Wildgoose is in from North Andros and is at CC Sweeting, Tyrice Curry has moved from CR Walker to Anatol Rodgers, Christine Jenoure is in from North Abaco to Anatol Rodgers, Nikkita Taylor from Claridge Primary School is now at LW Young and Nigel Ingraham moved from RM Bailey to SC McPherson. There have been two surprising circumstances as both Chevvy Simmons at SC McPherson and Dereck Cummings at CC Sweeting have retired from teaching. “All of the coaches are ready for a competitive season,” Davis said. “Everyone is preparing their teams and so we’re looking forward to a competitive year across the board in all sports. “We are looking forward to see how the teams perform.”
‘I don’t think the score indicated how well we played’ By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net ONE of the greatest thrills for any junior athlete is to make a senior national team. The biggest thrill once they do is to get a starting nod. Last week, 16-year-old Mario Johnson got to enjoy the best of the two scenarios when the men’s team played their first game of the CONCACAF League of Nations. In his starting role, the six-foot, 2-inch, 160-pound Johnson gave up two goals before he went down with an injury and the Bahamas eventually lost 4-0 to Belize. Johnson, an 11th grader at St Andrew’s School, got
started playing soccer about 10 years ago, but because he was considered “too fat,” he was sent into the goal post. The rest, as they say, is history. “I feel good because I know I work very hard,” said Johnson about his progress in his transition. “After they pretty much forced me to play keeper, I just lived up to the role.” Looking back at his initial showing at the senior level last week, Johnson said he was ready for the challenge. “It was just a different experience, but I had a couple of opportunities to get myself ready,” he said. “I think if I hadn’t gotten injured, I would have been able to hold them off.
“I don’t think the score indicated how well we played. It was a different play, but I felt we were ready. “We got tired at the end and we were not able to make the substitutions the way we wanted to. I don’t think four-nil indicated how well we played that game.” The Bahamas will play their next two games at home when they host Antigua & Barbuda on October 18 in round two of the tournament and round three on November 18 against Anguilla before they close out play on the road against Dominica on March 26. Johnson is hoping that he will be back in tip-top shape so that he can continue what he started,
MARIO JOHNSON although he didn’t get to finish the first game of
the tournament. “We just have to come with a different mindset in these next games,” he said. “I think we were nervous at the start of the game, but as the game progressed, we got into it. “It was something new for a lot of us because this was the first time that a lot of us as junior players got to play at the senior level. I think when we play again, we will be much better.” As for his game, Johnson said he eventually hopes that he can secure an athletic scholarship to go overseas to play college soccer either in the United States or in Canada. His local coach Paul James, of the Western Warriors soccer club, who has been working on Johnson’s
skills as a goalie for the past three years, said he has been impressed with his development. “He has tremendous potential, but he’s now realising that just having the potential won’t work, you need to put in the hard work,” James said. “So over the last six weeks, we’ve seen the way he’s approached the game. “He’s much better than any of the young goalies that I see around here, but he just needs to step out of his comfortable zone. He’s realised that and he’s starting to go to the next level. Potential wise, there’s no goalie here that comes close to him. “He just has to put in the hard work.”