by JUSTIN MARVILLE

AFTER SUFFERING a humiliating 20-point defeat at the hands of Clapham Bulls, the league's best player was not about to let his side suffer a similar let-down against Station Hill Cavaliers.

Corey McDonald poured in a game-high 27 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, his fifth straight double-double in as many games, as the Playfair Warriors took sole possession of first place with a 68-62 victory over the pre-season favourites Cavaliers in the Sprite/BOA Premier League on Saturday night at the YMCA.

With McDonald struggling from the field to begin the contest, the Cavs (3-2) jumped out to an early 9-1 advantage within the first two minutes of the opening period, as they executed their half-court offence to perfection, finding open looks for guards Corey Williams and Jason Smith.

But led by a resurgent defensive effort in the half-court, the Warriors (4-1) held their opponents to just a further five points in the first quarter, making life difficult for national forward Junior Moore in the paint while forcing Smith and Moore into taking bad shots.

In the second quarter McDonald was in full flight, using his entire offensive arsenal to dominate the game's proceedings as the Warriors threatened to run away with the contest.

Through an array of moves the prolific forward went for 12 points in the period, going a scorching five for six from the floor, but he only found himself trading baskets with burly Station Hill inside player Andre Jean-Pierre.

The former Bulls forward carried the Cavs' offence by scoring six points down low and providing the necessary space for Smith to operate on the perimeter as Station Hill trailed by only one, 32-31, heading into the half.

Station Hill would go a woeful four of 16 from the field in the third quarter while committing nine turnovers in the period as the Warriors went on a 13-6 run, transforming a single point lead into a double digit advantage.

The Cavs' deficit could have ballooned to almost twenty points if not for a couple missed lay-ups in the open court from opposing point guard Nicholas King. But it would not matter in the end with Ricardo Yearwood sealing his own team's doom early in the fourth quarter.

Yearwood picked up a pointless unsportsmanlike foul, resulting in an ensuing 10-2 Warriors run that put the game well out of the Cavs' reach.

National forward Kevin Sealy top scored for Station Hill with 12 points and Jean-Pierre added ten.

The night's first game saw the Bulls improve their record to 3-2 after routing winless British American Insurance Jackson 98-57 to register the Clapham side's second successive victory.