Stories of Success (SOS) Basketball Academy captain, Charles Williams, hit a clutch mid-range jumper at the buzzer to give the Under-19 Boys Invitational Tournament hosts the win in thrilling fashion over St Joseph Lions (SJL) at the Maloney Indoor Sport Arena on Sunday.
In what proved to be an intense final, it was an even exchange right from the tip off, with good defensive pressure and swift transition on attack seen from both teams.
Ahkeel Boyd with a team-high nine led the charge for St Joseph but it was SOS’s Mohammed Elias with a match-high 18pts, who made the difference going into the break, knocking down two points to give his team a 17-15 halftime advantage.
Momentum in the second half seemed to shift in St Joseph’s favour, with the Lion’s capitalising on a series of missed shots by SOS to mount a five-point lead with just under a minute left on the clock. The SOS squad defended strongly in the closing stages, winning back possession on two occasions, with Shannon Harris and Elias stepping in with key baskets to reduce the deficit to one point.
Another St Joseph turnover gifted SOS a chance to win with 12 seconds left. Elias’ shot came off the ring and was claimed by Boyd, whose attempt to smother the ball saw him called for travelling. With 0.9 seconds remaining to play, Elias inbounded the ball at the baseline, and with Williams finding space, the captain got the ball with just enough time to catch and shoot. Williams’ effort hit nothing but net, much to the elation of the SOS supporters, and the disbelief of the St Joseph faithful, with the hosts snatching victory from St Joseph right at the buzzer.
Having been fouled in the play Williams had to go to the free-throw line for one shot. The SOS skipper missed the free-throw, but it was of little bother as he and his teammates began celebrations as champions of the inaugural SOS U-19 tournament which saw four teams take part also including Brian Chase Basketball Academy (BCBA) and San Juan Warriors (SJW).
Teams competed in a round-robin competition in the preliminary round in matches 10 minutes per half. They were then placed in a standings according to the results from that stage. SOS emerged on top of the table playing unbeaten in the group stages. Second was Warriors with two wins and a loss; third was Lions with one win and two losses and fourth was winless BCBA.
In the semifinal round, first place played fourth while second met third. SOS topped BCBA 14-7 while Lions eliminated Warriors, 33-17.
Awards were presented at the end of the day’s contest and Kushiah King of BCBA picked up the most, claiming the prizes for the best two-point shooter, free throw shooter and most steals.
HONOUR ROLL
Tournament Champion: Stories Of Success Basketball Academy
Best 2pt Shooter: Kushiah King (Brian Chase Basketball Academy)
Best 3pt Shooter: Akheem Boyd (St Joseph Lions)
Best Free-Throw Shooter: Kushiah King (Brian Chase Basketball Academy)
Most Assists: Akheem Boyd (St Joseph Lions)
Most Steals: Kushiah King (Brian Chase Basketball Academy)
Most Blocks: Charles Williams (Stories Of Success Basketball Academy)
Best Offensive Rebounder: Tyrik Singh (San Juan Warriors)
Best Defensive Rebounder: Tyrik Singh (San Juan Warriors)
Results:
Group Stage
SOS 27 vs BCBA 12
SJL 18 vs SJW 19
BCBA 12 vs SJW 13
SOS 22 vs SJL 19
BCBA 26 vs SJL 30
SOS 24 vs SJW 17
Semi-finals
SJW 17 vs SJL 33
SOS 14 vs BCBA 7
Third Place Playoff
BCBA (23) vs SJW 25
Final
SOS 29 vs 28 SJL