SPORTS SECTION E
BUDDY, PAGE 2
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2018
We are the champions! By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net
T
he 35th Hugh Campbell Basketball Classic championship game was set to be a milestone moment for one of the two storied programmes and for the Tabernacle Baptist Academy Falcons, it resulted in the eighth title in school history. The Falcons captured back-toback titles in blowout fashion with a 65-44 win over the CC Sweeting Cobras at the Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium last night. The Falcons got an MVP performance from junior national team standout Joshua Dames, who finished with 16 points and eight rebounds. The Falcons frontcourt dominated the boards with a pair of double doubles – 13 points and 13 rebounds from Shyrone Kemp, along with 13 points and 12 rebounds from Regis Cooper. Desmond Butler added 10 points and a game high five assists, while Alfredo Brown added eight points. Brandon Strachan led the Cobras with a game high 22 points and Marco Beckford scored 12 but no other Cobras players managed more than two points. It was the second consecutive tournament title for Falcons head coach Kevin Clarke since he took over the helm from head coach Norris Bain. Tabernacle holds the record of eight Hugh Campbell titles, six won under Bain’s leadership (1995, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2009 and 2010) in addition to the pair from Clarke. The game was scoreless for the first two minutes before Dondre Nairn finished with a putback dunk on a follow for the game’s first score. Strachan and Seandre Todd traded threes, then Butler and Strachan traded layups as the Falcons kept pace. Beckford went baseline for a reverse layup and a 9-5 Cobras lead. He would go on to score six consecutive points and his left layup on a drive from the midpost gave his team a 13-5 lead.
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Strachan’s second three of the quarter gave the Cobras a 16-8 lead with 1:124 left in first and they took 16-9 after one. The Falcons opened the second quarter with a 15-4 run to take their first lead of the game and outscored the Cobras 22-7 to take control for good. Butler’s lob to Kemp for an alley-oop, and another fastbreak layup of his own ignited the Falcons’ offence for a brief moment before Strachan made his signature floater. The Falcons would shift their defence to a halfcourt trap that completely stifled the Cobras ballhandlers and created a series of turnovers that changed the complexion of the game. During a stretch where they forced five turnovers off deflections or intercepted passes, the Falcons fastbreaked their way into the lead. Kemp tipped away the entry pass for a steal and Dames finished the layup to trim the deficit to three and sparked a run of nine unanswered points. Cooper added a layup and Dames followed with a three to take the first Falcons lead (22-20). Kemp followed with a putback off a rebound for a 24-20 lead. Cassius Turnquest ended the run with his layup in the post, but the Falcons would end the quarter on another 14-1 run. Brown made a three to give the Falcons a 29-22 lead and Dames added a pair of free throws on the next possession. The Falcons went ahead by double figures for the first time on a Kemp layup (33-22) and he added a three-point play for a 36-22 lead. Dames hit a runner that just beat the second quarter buzzer and the Falcons took a 38-23 lead into the half. The third quarter began in much of the same fashion as the first with a drought for both teams that lasted nearly three minutes before Dames made another three pointer. He followed with a pair of free throws on the next Falcons possession for a 20-point lead (43-23). Butler dished an assist to Brown in the corner who made a three pointer for a 52-30 lead headed into the fourth. The Cobras made a brief run in the fourth but could only trim the deficit to 17 at various points. Cobras head coach Mario Bowleg fell short in his bid to win his 6th Hugh Campbell title. The Cobras last hoisted the trophy in 2016 when they knocked off the Sunland Baptist Stingers out of Grand Bahama. They previously won in 2012, 2013 and 2015. The other title won by CC Sweeting was in 2007 when they were coached by Ian Pinder.
Tabernacle Baptist Academy Falcons beat CC Sweeting Cobras 65-44 to win 8th Hugh Campbell title in school history
TABERNACLE BAPTIST ACADEMY Falcons (above and top) celebrate their victory last night. SEE MORE PHOTOS ON PAGE 8 Photos: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff
MOST valuable player, junior national team standout Joshua Dames, who finished with 16 points and eight rebounds, shares a special moment with Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Michael Pintard.