Camperdown too hot for KC in ISSA basketball

DEFENDING champions Camperdown High took a giant step towards retaining their ISSA urban schoolboys Under-19 basketball title after whipping Kingston College 65-34 to take a 1-0 lead in their first game of the best-of-three finals last Friday.

In front of vociferous home-crowd fans, the Oneil Brown-coached team from Camperdown Road made short work of their opponents as they made life miserable for the North Street-based school. For the entire game, back-to-back steals were followed by thunderous dunks from the home team. Matthew McGowan led the way for the winners with 16 points, three rebounds, three blocks, and four steals. He was backed up by Tyrese Henry with 13 points and Joel McLaughlin with 11 and three rebounds.

Mitchell Bailey led the way for KC after scoring 11 points, and he also had 16 rebounds and three blocks.

It was all the home team from the start of the game as they easily led 25-6 after the first quarter before going into the halftime break with a 37-20 lead. After the resumption, it was the same story as the defending champions led 43-29 after the third quarter before closing out for their comprehensive 21 points win.

GOOD DISPLAY

Coach Brown thought it was a very good display by his boys.

“It was a very good overall game for us as the boys were very disciplined right throughout, especially in the first quarter. They went out and executed the game plan well,” he said. Game one winners usually go on and win the series, but Brown is not taking anything for granted.

“It is a best-of-three series … so we are not writing off Kingston College because they are at their best when they are down, and we will just go back and prepare for the next game,” said Brown.

Roger Marshall, who is in his first season as coach of Kingston College, knows that it is going to take something special to get even, but he is not writing off his team.

“We have to take better care by limiting our turnovers. I am very confident that playing at home in the return game, we can turn the tables on them and even the series,” said Marshall.

The second game will be played at KC’s North Street campus on Tuesday at 3 p.m.