Wolmer's advance to semis in thriller over St George's
published: Wednesday | February 15, 2006

Kwesi Mugisa, Staff Reporter

WOLMER'S BOYS held their nerve to grind out a nail-biting 53-50 victory over St George's College to not only extend their winning streak to an impressive 8-0 but, more importantly, secure themselves a place in the semi-finals of the KFC sponsored ISSA High School competition yesterday at the National Stadium.

Once again it was Kerron Caine, with 19 points and 11 rebounds, who led the way for the sizzling Heroes' Circle team. They closed out the second round with a perfect 3-0 record, but St. George's, led by floor general Joscelyn Campbell's 19 points and 12 assists, made sure they worked for the victory. The teams which met in the first round (a close contest which eventually saw Wolmer's emerge victorious) attacked each other from the opening whistle. George's held an early 5-2 lead, but Wolmer's tightened their defence and closed out the first quarter 17-15. A surge by Wolmer's at the start of the second quarter saw them even further ahead at half-time, 30-23. However, George's were a team inspired at the start of the third quarter and a solid defensive stand and an eight-point quarter by Chad Murdock, who finished with 13, saw them move to within three at the final break. The final quarter became a fierce duel between Caine, who racked up seven points, and Campbell, who had 10. A big basket by Campbell with 2:00 minutes left saw George's tie the game at 48-48, but Caine restored the lead for Wolmer's with 1:30 to play. With 15 seconds left in the game, Kavan Allen made two of four clutch free throws to seal the game for Wolmer's.

In the day's other encounter, a sensational 38 points, 21 rebounds and eight blocked shots by Deameatrio Wade, in his third 30-plus points game of the season, willed Excelsior to a narrow 52-50 victory over St. Catherine.