Graydon Sealy take on Springer

It’s Graydon Sealy versus Springer.
Again.
Nikita President scored a game-high 22 points as defending eight-time champs Graydon Sealy advanced to a championship game rematch against WIBISCO Girls’ basketball title favourites Springer Memorial following Thursday’s 48-35 semi-final victory over Harrison College at Barbados Community College.
It’s the 12th successive finals appearance for the reigning queens, and the second straight against last year’s losing finalists Springer, who booked their spot via a 72-49 rout of Combermere.
But Springer have already fired their warning shots ahead of Tuesday’s big showdown, capping an unbeaten run through this year’s regular season with an eight-point win over their long-time nemeses earlier this week.
Graydon Sealy weren’t ready to lose a second straight game, though, or their chance at vengeance, going wire to wire in a contest that they led by as many as 19 points after blowing open the contest via a 17-7 second-half run.
This was after “Kolij” twice threatened to make a game of the contest, pulling within three (13-10) at the end of the first quarter before rallying to reduce a 13-point hole (29-16) to a manageable 32-29 deficit.
At that time Shannon Green looked all but unstoppable in the paint as the star Harrison College forward scored in the post, off short jumpers and even went coast-to-coast for an and-one lay-up when forced to bring up the ball.
However, President responded by hitting a pair of pull-up jumpers and adding a fast-break lay-up to squash the rally before Shonica Wharton’s jumper (46-31) duly put things out of reach.
It didn’t help matters any that none of Harrison College’s guards could handle the full court pressure applied by Rashida Chase and Latonya Burke, who both converted the ensuing turnovers into baskets the other way.
Green finished with 20 points after scoring half of those during a 13-3 rally that spanned the second and third quarters.
Later, forward/centre Winmalecia Bowen scored 21 points before sitting out the fourth quarter of a 23-point blowout of “Cawmere”.
The Waterford lasses scored six of the game’s first eight points behind an aggressive start from Tatyanna Waldrond before Springer answered with a 24-5 run to take control of the game.
Starting with a vintage dream fake, Bowen was simply a beast around the basket, scoring a deft reverse lay-up to go along with other skilful touches in the paint on the way to 13 first-quarter points.
And as her confidence grew, so too did the lead, and Springer stretched their lead to 24 points (43-19) in the second quarter despite the best efforts of opposing guard Makela Walcott.
Combermere managed to end the half on an 11-0 run when Bowen was forced to leave the game with an injury to her shooting shoulder, with Walcott draining a series of long jumpers to threaten an unlikely comeback.
But Bowen returned to start the third quarter, and Springer duly put away the game by six unanswered points before Dominique Browne added a pair of jumpers as Combermere managed just two points in the period.
Browne finished with 14 points, Bowen’s twin sister Winmarie added 11 while point guard Hannisha Hoyte scored ten. Walcott led all scorers with 29 points, with Walrond and Christina Yearwood each scoring ten for Combermere.