North Union defeats St. Martin’s 103-68

It was a joyous occasion last Sunday afternoon at the sun bathed New Montrose Basketball Facility for the North Union Secondary School (NUSS), as they were crowned Male Champions of the 2009 Secondary Schools’ Basketball Championships. But only a few persons were on hand to share in their joy.{{more}}

The high scoring NUSS engaged the St. Martin’s Secondary School in the Final, which turned out to be an anti-climatic contest, as the St. Martin’s Secondary flattered to deceive.

Promise of keen rivalry surfaced as the first ten minutes finished with both teams level at 16 points apiece.

St. Martin’s was aided by NUSS’s on court mistakes in the second quarter and took advantage to take a marginal three point lead at the half way mark, as the scores ended 36-33 in their favour.

This incensed the NUSS’s coach, Nichole Sandy, who gave her charges a barracking and the rest became history, as they charred the St. Martin’s outfit, which lacked depth.

St. Martin’s go to man, Dravaughn Edwards, could not do it alone and wilted as the match wore on.

The third quarter saw North Union scoring 31 to St. Martin’s 12, as the contest was all but over.

North Union, despite having two of their key players fouled out in the last quarter, had established a sizeable lead to coast the few minutes that remained, and finally won 103 to 68.

Edwards was the hot hand on the afternoon, as he poured in 43 baskets, but all in a losing cause. He, though, copped the award for the Most Valuable Player in the Central Zone.

For North Union, Keno Roberts was responsible for 20 points, and Desron Maloney accounted for 18. Maloney was later adjudged the Most Valuable Player of the Final.

The Final was preceded by the third place play off; the all Grenadine affair ended with a win for the Union Island Secondary, who beat their northern counterparts, the Bequia Community High, 87-82.

En route to the Final, St. Martin’s edged out Union Island Secondary, 75-74, and North Union had a 69-49 triumph over the Bequia Community High.

North Union, apart from winning the title, recorded one of the highest totals in schools’ Basketball history, when they poured in a whopping 164 points to the Georgetown Secondary’s 42 in a match in the preliminary stage. Then Maloney had 44 and Julius Keir, the Windward Zone Most Valuable Player, 39.

As expected, North Union came out on top in the Windward Zone of the Preliminary, with Bequia sealing the deal in the Central Zone and Barrouallie taking the honours in the Leeward Zone of the prelims.

The Championship, which also has a female component, which is yet to be completed, will form the basis for the selection of this country’s female and male Basketball outfits to the Windward Islands Inter School Games, set to be hosted here in July/ August.