Connelly stars as Police shoot to b-ball final

KIELLE Connelly continued her unstoppable form, booking a spot for her team Police in the women’s final of the NBFTT National Invitational Championship to face Defence force on Sunday 8pm at the Maloney Indoor Sports Arena.

On Sunday, Police came up against the young and aspiring Enterprise/ Maloney combine and it was a lot closer than most expected in the earlier stages of the match but Police tightened up in the end to win comprehensively 100-56.

Connelly was all over the stats sheets once again, recording (35 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals). Her team-mate, Joelisa Cooper contributed (19 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals) while, Leslie-Ann Bacquain added (17 points, 4 rebounds, 8 assists, 3 steals) and Afeisha Noel had a double-double with 12 points, 15 rebounds. For the combine team, 13-year-old prodigy, Carissa Ramdial had an eye-catching performing dropping a tournament high 8 three-pointers on her way to 30 points, 4 steals and her partner Breanna Charles notched a double-double with 11 points and 13 rebounds.

Connelly, who has been dominant on both ends of the court this season, said, “It feels good to be in the final and I’m extremely excited to come up against TTDF because it’s a team with all-round players. Our team plans to work on our weaknesses and strengths so we can come out victorious.” She continued, “I’m a very competitive player and I give my all when it comes to my matches. However, I’ve been working on certain aspects of my game and the tournament has given me an opportunity to apply those skills.”

In the other semi-final match, Defence Force had a much tougher match-up when they defeated Brian Chase Basketball Academy 63-54. The gruelling encounter was exciting from the start but a strong fourth quarter finish from Army proved to be the difference. Towering centre Jameela Mc Carthy topped the charts for her team with 21 points, 13 rebounds and six steals while Alicia Liverpool managed 14 points, 7 rebounds and Crystal-Ann George chipped in with 10 points, 6 rebounds and five assists.

Brian Chase Academy`s Allison Young had a game-high 26 points, 19 rebounds five steals whilst Ize-Tao Best and Alicia Joseph added nine and seven points respectively. The bronze medallist will begin at 630pm followed by the battle of armed forces at 8pm.