IT TOOK THREE DAYS just to decide Game 2.
Now it’ll take three games to determine basketball’s new champs.
After two rain delays and one lacklustre showing, Mpact Station Hill Cavs finally squared their best-of-three finals with First Works Warriors, keeping their hopes alive for a second successive Intermediate title alive following Friday’s 56-54 thriller at the YMCA.
What started on Wednesday eventually finished two days later when champions Cavs closed out the contest on a dramatic 13-4 run, having being forced to return for the last 6:23 of Game 2.
This, after intermittent showers stopped the game 16 seconds shy of the fourth quarter on the original date, before the showers returned to halt play again on Thursday.
But while the rains came down, Station Hill ensured their reign wouldn’t do the same.
At least for one game.
It didn’t appear that way though, not during the first two minutes of Friday’s restart, while Warriors scored five points without reply after beginning the night with a 45-43 lead.
And this followed three easy misses from Terry “Bell” Pilgrim to open the proceedings.
But Warriors eventually paid dearly for those continued layup woes.
Randy Simmons missed an uncontested basket in transition, before Daniel Durant followed suit just seconds later, as the Dayrells Road side watched most of a 50-43 lead disappear during a two-minute drought.
Pilgrim seemingly solved those struggles after scoring in the paint between two defenders to put Warriors up 54-50 with 1:26 to play, responding to a brief burst from Corey Best and Steve Grenville.
However, Warriors never scored again, turning over the ball on three straight possessions before the Cavs took their first lead (55-54) of the quarter on a Michael Marville jumper.
Neil Stoute followed with another missed layup for good measure with 24 seconds remaining, only for Best to leave the door open by splitting his subsequent free throws.
He was never made to pay for the gaffe though, as Keith Mayers was forced to settle for a heavily-contested triple with the clock winding down.
Best had a game high 15 points while Marville added 12 for the Cavs, who will look to secure their second straight league crown in tonight’s decider at the same venue.
David “Ernie” Smith led Warriors with 14 points and Pilgrim scored 13.