Trinity East cop U15 basketball title; Hillview in U20 final

TRINITY College East were crowned the Secondary Schools Basketball East Zone Under-15 champions with a crushing 52-20 win over Holy Cross College at the Maloney Indoor Sport Arena yesterday.

Josiah Montique and Tishad Gamero showed their quality for Trinity College East, scoring 18 and 15 points respectively. N'Kobi Ince tried to keep Holy Cross in the game with 15 points, but he was frustrated for large parts of the game as his team trailed throughout the contest.

Gamero got Trinity off to a quick start, scoring the first four points of the match. It was not long before Montique got going, hitting a three-pointer as Trinity began the game on a 7-0 run. Holy Cross took more than five minutes to score their first points as it was a struggle for them offensively.

Gamero, despite his diminutive stature, played aggressively. He spent a lot of time at the free throw line, as he picked up fouls driving to the basket. Alexie Alexis got the small crowd excited with a dunk, before sinking a three as Trinity opened up a commanding 22-4 lead.

Ince showed his quality, but Trinity stayed in control of the match. Ince had one of the plays of the game as he ran the entire length of the floor, before completing a lay-up and the three-point play after being fouled.

Montique gave his best Stephen Curry impression, hitting a three-pointer from way beyond the three-point line. At halftime, Trinity already had one hand on the trophy with a 32-9 lead.

As the second half began, Trinity proved they are not only formidable with the ball as they played full-court defence. It was a similar pattern in the second half as Montique and Gamero showed their quality, with Ince interrupting that with moments of brilliance. Some of Trinity's bench players also got time out on the floor as the game remained one-sided.

Ince looked deflated and on one play in the closing stages did not run back to defend.
After the match, Trinity coach Andre Yorke said, "We had a wonderful game...I must congratulate the boys."

He said Montique and Gamero had top performances. "They were owing us. They came up big today and we really appreciate that. (Strong) effort from the whole team, we really appreciate it."

Yorke also commended his team for playing defence which helped keep Holy Cross star player Ince quiet.

In the second match of the double-header, Hillview College defeated San Juan South Secondary 44-30 in an East Zone Under-20 semi-final.

The teams struggled to score early on, as Hillview led 7-3 halfway through the 20-minute first half. It was a physical encounter with many fouls.

It was untidy throughout the first half, with Hillview and San Juan South guilty of travelling and giving away the ball. There were only a few moments on the offensive end with Hillview's Josiah Telesford providing one of those moments with a drive to the basket to add two more points.

At half-time, Hillview had a 14-7 advantage.

Hillview showed form as the second half began and also played solid defence, maintaining a double-digit lead for most of the second half. Carnel Coggins of San Juan showed his ability, but did not get enough support.

Samuel Edwards completed a dunk in the closing minute to put the icing on the cake for Hillview.

On March 18, the Under-17 third-place playoff will start at 12.15 pm between Trinity College East and San Juan South and the Under-17 final between Holy Cross and Hillview will tip off at 1.30 pm.

On March 19, the Under-20s will take centre stage. The third-place playoff will see St George's College battle against San Juan South at 12.15 pm and from 1.30 pm, Hillview will play Holy Cross.

All the matches will be played in Maloney.