The latest twist in the Cavs-Bulls rivalry is sure to leave Clapham heads spinning.
So much for Halley Franklyn’s heroics and Bulls’ only winning streak this season, as Kevin Sealy scored the go-ahead layup with 28.4 seconds left in Mpact Station Hill Cavaliers’ 74-70 thriller over their Premier League basketball rivals on Saturday at the Wildey Gym.
It was just another dramatic finish in an age-old series known for them – with the two powerhouses featuring in more epic battles than any other top flight teams.
But the latest last-second finish proved far from the only thing epic about the instant classic, where the fourth quarter alone saw some three lead changes and seven ties.
The stage reserved for the league’s oldest rivalry soon became Franklyn’s own personal theatre after the steely forward’s performance included a string of 12 straight Clapham points that turned a 62-54 deficit into a 66-64 lead.
This came after Station Hill threatened to blow open another double digit advantage, with Jason Smith and Stefan Yard hitting three treys between them to open a 51-all deadlock.
Franklyn responded with a three-point play of his own, having driven the lane for the “hoop and the harm” before knocking down a jumper and another free throw.
The Bulls swingman wasn’t done just yet either, relentlessly attacking the rack for three straight trips to the charity stripe and six successful free throws – the last of which put Clapham up by two with 2:03 left.
And the lead would’ve been more had Bulls guards Rahiim Gibbons and Kodia Leacock not blown uncontested layups to allow the Cavs to go ahead (70-68) on two free throws from Steve Grenville and his assist to Jamai Puckerin.
Mark Foster briefly restored Clapham’s hopes by locking the game on a jumper with 45.8 seconds left, only to watch Station Hill retake the lead just seconds later on a backdoor cut.
That play proved the eventual game-winning one too, as Franklyn slipped on Bulls’ next possession and Grenville converted the subsequent turnover into a fast-break layup in the other direction.
It was the unlikely cap to a contest the Cavs looked certain of dominating an hour earlier when they scored the game’s first ten points on the way to a 33-21 lead by being a step quicker than their lethargic counterparts.
Clapham then rallied behind Sydney Rowe and Gibbons by scoring eight unanswered points before the two rivalling sides traded baskets in a back-and-forth third-quarter tussle.
Grenville finished with a game-high 17 points for Station Hill, who improved to the league’s second best record of 5-1, while Junior Moore had 13 points and 15 boards, and Darren Hunte added 11 points.
For the Bulls (2-3), Rowe scored 18 and Franklyn finished with 16 points.
Earlier, Corey McDonald had 16 of his game-high 22 points as part of a frantic fourth-quarter comeback as First Works Warriors overcame a franchise-worst two-point first quarter effort to stun Warrens 52-51.
Warriors (3-2) didn’t score until the final 36 seconds of the period on a Paul Grant basket to fall behind 14-2 before entering the fourth quarter trailing 41-28.
Levar Greaves was the lone Warrens (3-3) player in double digits with 12 points.
In the day’s first game, Akeem Marsh scored 20 points to lead Roll-A-Way St John’s Sonics (3-2) to a 66-47 win over the winless Co-operators General Insurance Tridents (0-6).?
