The Cavs will take an ugly win over a pretty loss.
As for Co-operators General Insurance Tridents, they’ll take any win they can get.
The schoolboys slumped to their eighth straight loss, going down to the Station Hill Cavaliers 68-55 when action in the Barbados Amateur Basketball Association’s Premier League Competition continued at the Wildey Gymnasium on Saturday night.
It was a scrappy contest, with the two teams combining for an embarrassing 50 turnovers and 32 missed free throws, all the while shooting a combined 33 per cent from the field.
It was a far cry from the Cavs’ previous performance which saw them defeat knockout champions and league favourites Lumber Company Lakers, but it was enough to keep them atop the standings with a 7-1 record.
After trailing for the entire first quarter, one in which they only managed two points in the opening five minutes, the Cavs used a decisive 16-2 run in the second period to break open a tight affair.
Leading 16-12 after the opening period on the back of Aamir Morris’ seven point outburst, the schoolboys surrendered the lead for good just two minutes in, after a three-pointer by Cavs’ sharpshooter Jason Smith gave his side their first lead of the game at 19-18.
Two Trident turnovers led to Steve Grenville pushing the issue in transition, resulting in two easy baskets for Seon Hilliman and Jamai Puckerin as the lead grew to five (23-18).
The schoolboys continued to turn the ball over at will, and with the Cavs continuing to get out in transition, Corey Howard’s five quick points threatened to turn the game into a rout (28-18), with 5:12 left in the quarter.
However, Morris’ tough left handed layup over Howard capped an 8-0 run by the Tridents, to help pull them back within two (28-26).
The Cavs’ eventual 32-26 lead at halftime could have been much bigger, had it not been for their horrendous free throw shooting, where they scored just nine of their 23 shots from the charity stripe.
A 20-6 run to start the third quarter essentially put the contest to bed. With the Cavs applying a full court press, the Tridents struggled to get the ball over half court, resulting in numerous turnovers, which Howard and Puckerin duly turned into either uncontested layups or two-on-one opportunities.
Howard’s two free throws with 3:02 left in the quarter extended the lead to 20 (52-32), and the schoolboys never got any closer than 13 points the rest of the way.
Howard led the Cavs with 16 points, and Puckerin added 15, while Morris scored a game high 18 points in a losing cause for the Tridents.
In the night’s first game Combined Schools Hoopsters defeated St Johns Sonics 57-37 in women’s action, while in the Premier League, St John Sonics thumped Cougars 88-66 to move into third position with a 5-2 record in the night cap, while Cougars dropped to 2-5.
