Manchester High rule rural U19 and U16 basketball

Manchester High School reaffirmed their dominance in rural schoolboys basketball by successfully defending their crowns in both the Under-16 and Under-19 divisions at the ISSA Rural Schoolboys Basketball Championships finals at GC Foster College yesterday.

In the U19 division, Manchester overwhelmed first-time finalists Holmwood Technical 96-52 to complete a commanding 2–0 series sweep.

Damon Sullivan, coach of Manchester, said both wins were dedicated towards a player who passed way before the season started.

“I am just happy, a lot of work was put in. Sadly, we had a young man, an Under-19 player, who passed just before the start of the season, and we are dedicating these two trophies this season to him,” said Sullivan.

“The Under-16 game was a tough game. I have about three or four players nursing injuries, so we had to manage the game properly. I think what gave us the edge in the Under-16 game today were the free throws. We got an opportunity to step away from them and maintain that lead throughout,” added Sullivan.

Andrew Brown, coach of Holmwood Technical, said they are disappointed but he expects the team to do better next season.

“I am a bit disappointed, and it is a part of the game, but I am very proud of my team. This is our first year in the finals, and the great thing about it is that I will be having back the same team next year,” Brown said.

Manchester, who were heavy favourites, were all over the first-time finalists from the first whistle in the U19 clash. Leading the charge was most valuable player Oral Daley who scored 28 points and grabbed 14 rebounds. His teammate Samuel Smith added 22 points and 17 rebounds. Holmwood’s Romeo Smith and Melvin Ragoo both got 14 points

In the Under-16 contest, Manchester delivered an emphatic performance in the deciding game, overpowering Herbert Morrison Technical High School (HMTHS) 62-44 to seal the best-of-three series 2-1.

Levar Rose, coach of HMTHS, acknowledged the negative feelings associated with losing and emphasised the need for preparation during the off-season to improve for the next season.

“Our boys did well today and I am proud of them. The past couple seasons, we have been losing to the same team, it is just unfortunate that we couldn’t get over the hump,” added Rose.

The Montego Bay-based HMTHs had a hot start where they shot and defended confidently to grab an early 12-10 lead at the end of the first quarter. The second quarter was evenly balanced but champions Manchester gained momentum and got their shots to fall. They scored 18 points and took a five-point lead, 28-23, at half-time.

After the break, it was all Manchester as they stretched the lead to 45-35 with a quarter to go and went all in to complete the win.

Manchester’s MVP Jahquan Palmer led the way with 16 points. HMTHS Tyler Linton scored 13 points.

The all-island finals will begin on Monday at Campion College at 1 p.m. Manchester will first face Wolmer’s Boys in the U16 and Campion College in the U19 at 2:45 p.m.