ONE DOWN, one to go.
Combermere are inching ever closer towards a Co-operators General Insurance Under-16 basketball championship, as Chiamaka Browne and Joshua Cadogan scored 11 points apiece to secure the regular season title in their 40-27 win over Harrison College in Thursday’s season finale at Crumpton Street.
The unbeaten league leaders kept their perfect record intact after Lamar Coward had six of his ten points in a decisive fourth-quarter stretch, as Combermere restricted the hosts to just one field goal over the final five minutes of the contest.
This was subsequent to Harrison College falling behind by double digits (32-22) early in that same period, before threatening behind a Darian Chandler jumper and successive free throws from Chioke Holder to get as close as seven (32-26) with 5:28 to play.
But Browne, son of Lakers Premier League point guard Derek, ended the brief rally with a floater, followed by a six straight points by Coward and fellow forward David King, as “Kolij” could only manage a further Holder lay-up the rest of the way.
Combermere actually scored the last six points unanswered, while the home side struggled against their guests’ oppressive 1-3-1 defence.
And the game ended in a similar vein to how it began, as Cadogan accounted for the first four points of the contest and eight straight for Combermere, before Browne capped off their 15-8 first-quarter lead with a buzzer-beating triple.
But the Waterford floor general was shaded by two defenders while bringing the ball out of backcourt for much of the contest, resulting in transition scores for Chandler and Anand Joseph-Thorne to open the second when he tried to take on his markers.
However, Browne and Cadogan got a pair of open court lay-ups of their own off Harrison College turnovers, allowing them to rebuild their advantage to seven (21-14) at the half-time break and throughout the third quarter.
And Combermere looked certain of doubling that lead when Coward and Jason Walkes opened the fourth with short jumpers to put the visitors ahead 32-22.
Chandler had a game-high 12 points for “Kolij”‘, who were scheduled to play the sixth-seeded St Leonard’s at home yesterday in the first of four quarter-final matchups.
Lester Vaughan and Foundation were also slated to play yesterday at Cane Garden.
On Monday, top-ranked Combermere will oppose No. 8 seeds Alleyne at Waterford, while second-seeded Queen’s College will host Ellerslie.
