GRAYDON SEALY are back atop Division Two basketball.
The United Insurance Schools’ crown is heading back to Paddock Road after prolific combo guard Andrew Ifill capped his Most Valuable Player season by scoring six points of a decisive 12-4 fourth-quarter run in yesterday’s gritty 64-55 championship win over Lester Vaughan at the gymnasuim Wildey, St Michael.
The performance was one fitting for the competition’s biggest stage, with the league’s biggest star saving his best for last with two late-game buckets and a pair of free throws that turned a thrilling three-point contest (52-49) inside the dying minutes into a routine 11-point lead (64-53).
And this was after Lester Vaughan threatened to end spoil their opponents’ unbeaten season when they held them to just six points over the first nine minutes while racing out to a 16-6 advantage on the backs of Brandon Hope and Zachary Cave.
The upset-minded Cane Garden side even led by as many as 11 (26-15) in that first half following a pair of jumpers from Cave and a Hope driving layup late in the second quarter.
But Justin Pile spurred a 9-2 Graydon Sealy finish to the half before the Paddock Road boys eventually took their first lead of the game on the other side of the break (32-31) following an Ifill free throw that capped a run of eight straight points.
Lester Vaughan refused to go away though, with Hope sinking a pair of treys prior to one from Gabriel Trotman that kept them within striking distance right up until the fourth quarter.
Even back-to-back buckets from Shaquon Newton weren’t enough to rid Graydon Sealy off their opponents midway through that period as Hope hit yet another triple and two more free throws to make the contest a one-possession game (52-49) with three minutes left.
It was as close as they would get the rest of the way once Ifill attacked the rack for a huge basket to start a run that saw Pile and Nahj Bridgeman chip in with buckets off their own to blow open the lead.
Ifill added another score for good measure and two free throws sandwiching a basket from Pile that padded the lead.
Ifill ended with 17 points, Newton and Pile each scored 15 while Ahmal Smith chipped in with 13 points for the champs. Hope led all scorers with 22 points and Cave was the only other Lester Vaughn double-digit scorer with 12.