Kolij, Cawmere in U-16 final

by JUSTIN MARVILLEA BASKETBALL TITLE was on the line the last time they met.It’s only fitting that the next Combermere-Harrison College showdown will  decide another.The Co-operators General Insurance Under-16 Championship is at stake this time around after regular season champs “Cawmere” and title contenders “Kolij” both booked their finals berths by beating Queen’s College and Foundation respectively in Monday’s semis at the  Wildey Gymnasium. Tomorrow’s title game will be a rematch of the Crumpton Street regular season finale of two weeks ago, when the visitors downed Harrison College 40-27 for the league’s best record and the top seed entering the  Elite Eight play-offs.But they comfortably trumped that 13-point margin within the first seven minutes of their semi-final against Foundation, with Chiamaka Browne scoring nine of his 22 points  as part of an opening  21-2 run that led to an eventual 48-17 rout.So lopsided was the affair that the unbeaten top-ranked side were never threatened despite failing to score in the fourth quarter when utilising the entire bench.Harrison College weren’t afforded such luxuries, though, as Darian Chandler had 13  of his game-high 19 points in the second half, including nine during  the decisive fourth quarter, to lead them to a tense 42-36 victory over rivals Queen’s College.“Kolij” were actually ahead for all but two minutes of the contest,  but never led by more than seven points and had  to hold off a late fourth-quarter rally from their long-time adversaries.Chandler was forced  to overcome the brief absence of star guard Anand Joseph-Thorne  and his own turnover woes early in the last period prior to transforming  a slight 30-27 advantage into a 39-32 cushion. However, Ryan Hall converted an offensive put-back and Stefan Ashton soon followed with a lay-up, before Christian Halliday found himself at the line for a pair of free throws that could have reduced the deficit to just one with under two minutes remaining.But Halliday went empty at the charity stripe, and Joseph-Thorne quickly made him pay by scoring a short jumper  on the ensuing possession while Chandler  provided the final margin at the line.It was the stirring climax to a game that saw Queen’s College battle back from two previous, ominous deficits –  the last one being  a 26-19 hole midway  in the third quarter.At that time Chandler had threatened to take  the game away from  QC after starting the period with a jumper  and a spectacular  up-and-under lay-up  prior to a Nikolai Burton basket.Nicholas Grannum quickly responded, though, going coast-to-coast  off a steal before adding another lay-up to lead  a Queen’s College rally.