Andre Lockhart went sprawling into Clapham’s sideline, took longer than usual to get up and was whistled for a technical during an ensuing exchange.
Running into the Bulls’ bench just isn’t what it used to be for Lakers.
Reserves Rahiim Gibbons and Daniel Lovell spurred a 7-0 finish to the third quarter before Jeremy Gill put away the contest in the fourth, as Act II Popcorn Clapham Bulls upended Lumber Company Lakers for Premier League basketball’s top spot in Saturday’s 83-68 win at the Barbados Community College.
In what was billed as a finals preview, Bulls (15-4) won for just the second time in the teams’ last ten meetings, taking their first meaningful contest in the series since the 2006 finals and ending Lakers’ (15-5) winning streak at nine games.
It was far from the only surprising twist. Just weeks after walking out, the overseas-based Lockhart was back in the Lakers gold for a game to decide the post-season’s top seed and that could end up setting the tone for a possible finals match-up.
If so, then Lakers will have to start looking at Clapham’s reserves differently.
What has long been Bulls’ biggest letdown in the series finally proved the decisive factor. Gibbons and Lovell got out on the open floor for key baskets to put an end to a threatening Lakers rally by reopening a 66-51 advantage.
This was after another of Gill’s supporting cast – Mark Foster – proved solely responsible for maintaining Clapham’s first-half 43-32 cushion with three successive baskets (51-38).
And Gill came back in time to preserve the lead they managed to build. Ricardo Jemmott, through a series of hard drives to the rack, was still a threat until the Clapham combo guard started dealing in threes – getting away with three steps on a three-point play before knocking down a trey off the dribble over Keefe Birkett (77-61).
Gill added a left-handed lay-up off a nifty in-and-out dribble for good measure before Lovell capped the win with a two-handed tomahawk in transition.
It was the story of a return that went wrong for Lockhart, who first checked in four minutes into the second quarter with Lakers already down 28-16 on the heels of a 9-0 Bulls run.
Kodia Leacock and Nicholas Jones exploded in transition before Lakers countered with a 7-0 run of their own (30-23) behind Ian Alexander.
They got no closer for the remainder of the half, though, as Gibbons came off the bench for a pair of jumpers while Lovell closed the period with successive baskets in the open court (43-32).
But Clapham got into the penalty just three minutes into the ensuing third and Foster picked up a technical on a blown goal-tending call, resulting in six straight Lakers points that reduced the deficit to just eight (59-51) with 1:19 remaining.
However, Lakers ran into the Bulls bench – both figuratively and literally – as Gibbons and Lovell struck while Lockhart went diving into Clapham’s sideline for a loose ball, before he and Sean Parris picked up technical fouls for their brief exchange.
Gill led all scorers with 21 points, Halley Franklyn had 17 while Gibbons and Lovell scored 12 and ten points, respectively.
Jemmott led Lakers with 18 points and 14 rebounds, Alexander scored 14 and Lockhart had ten points.
Earlier, Ramon Simmons led six Pinelands players in double digits with 23 points as dethroned league champs Mpact Station Hill Cavaliers capped their tumultuous year in a 95-82 season-ending loss.
Jamai Puckerin had 19 points and 12 rebounds for the Cavs, who will be missing the post-season for the first time in eight years.
