Cricket Club Knights seek win over Boys Club Warriors in WBA Elite League semis
CRICKET Club Knights, last season’s losing finalists in the Western Basketball Association Elite League, must win today’s Game Two of the best-of- three semi-final against Montego Bay Boys Club Warriors if they are to stay in the race for a place in the final.
Promoted and fourth-ranked Montego Bay Boys Club Warriors leads the series 1-0 after stealing Saturday’s Game One with a nail- biting onepoint (73-72) win over Cricket Club Knights at the Montego Bay Cricket Club.
Cricket Club Knights are the most consistent team this season, topping the first round points standings before sweeping Cornwall Courts Chargers 2-0 in their best-ofthree quarter-finals, scoring 189 points in the two games.
Warriors rebounded from losing their first game in the quarter-finals against Sav-elite Titans to book their semi-final spot, before upsetting Knights on Saturday.
In the first game of the semi-final series, Warriors trailed late in the fourth quarter before a stunning comeback gave them the edge.
Knights, who were led by double-doubles from Antonio Spence and Jhaun Bryan, the latter coming off the bench, were ahead after the first two quarters 22-17, and 39-35 at half-time, before Warriors took the lead early in the third quarter, but trailed by a point
(52-53) at the end of the third.
Warriors scored the first four points in the third quarter to take the lead, but Knights battled back to retake the lead, and were ahead by six points with just under five minutes to go, but back- to- back technical fouls tilted the game in favour of Warriors, and they took full advantage.
Tafari Vassell had a double-double for Warriors with a game-high 29 points and 14 rebounds, Levar Rose scored 19 points, Anthony Thorpe scored nine points, and Rhyheem Barrett scored eight points, and had eight rebounds.
Spence scored 23 points and had 10 rebounds, Bryan scored 14 points and had 11 rebounds, Karlington Barrett scored 10 points, and Oshane Mothersill scored six points and had 11 rebounds.