Howard Walker, Staff Reporter
Jamaica College's Keinan Ceasar (right) dunks on Port Antonio's Dates Buckley (left) while his teammate Devon Gravey looks on in KFC/ISSA National Basketball Championships action at the National Stadium courts on Monday. Jamaica College, led by 30 points from Ceasar, won 73-43. - WINSTON SILL/FREELANCE PHOTOGRAPHER
KEINAN CEASAR turned in a kingly-like performance throwing down 30 points as Jamaica College dismissed Port Antonio High 73-43 in the KFC/ISSA high schools National Basketball Championship match at the Stadium Courts on Monday.
Jamaica College by virtue of the win, have booked themselves a place in the quarter-finals of the competition, finishing second behind Zone D leaders Old Harbour.
In the day's other under-19 game, St. Catherine also booked their place, topping Zone A by demolishing Maldon 72-46. This despite 26 points and seven steals from Dwayne Johns .
Noel Wright top scored in the encounter for St. Catherine with 23 points and seven rebounds.
In under-16 action, Calabar routed William Knibb 112-20, while Wolmer's easily got by Port Antonio 81-29.
JC rebounded from their dismal loss to Old Harbour recently with an emphatic victory over their Portland rivals. The boys from Old Hope Road, had quarterly leads of 23-15, 35-26, 53-34 for an easy win in front of a an empty stadium court.
Ceasar was ably supported by Eugene Dixon, who chipped in with 15 points, Luis Cordero, 12 points, and Kimani Thomas, 10.
Christopher Hall top-scored for Port Antonio with 14 points and Devon Gravey had 10.
DIFFERENT CLASS
The diminutive Thomas, the point guard and captain of JC, said he realised his team was in a different class after the first quarter and was not worried throughout.
"In the first quarter we realised that we weren't playing much defence and were allowing them too many points. We didn't see it fit for them to be scoring so much and shut them down," said Thomas.
Meanwhile, Jerone Heron, coach of Port Antonio, the East Conference champion, said a lack of training and competition had hampered his school's progress.
"In Portland there is a lot of rain and we don't really have time to train, plus it is a two-shift school with some of the guys on one shift. So it is hard for them to train together," Heron said.
"In Portland, basketball is a slow- growing sport and we need to change that. Some of these guys are playing basketball for the first time in their lives," he said.
"I am not really disappointed with the score. We did well to reach this far. Hopefully next year they can do better. In Portland, only four teams participate in the Eastern Conference so we don't have enough competition."
TODAY'S GAMES
Under-19: St. Jago vs Manchester Under-16: Calabar vs Christiana
