St John’s season went from really bad to historically worse in just 40 minutes.
Urban Vybz St John’s Sonics just set the bar for losing after recording one of the all-time worst defeats in the Co-operators General Insurance Basketball Premier League via Saturday’s unsightly 121-51 beat-down from Station Hill Cavaliers at the Barbados Community College.
It was the league’s second worst margin of defeat within the last two decades, surpassed only by Challengers’ 86-point loss to Cougars four seasons ago where they were on the wrong end of a 135-49 blowout at the very same venue.
Yet the feat of futility came as no real surprise for a Sonics team that is playing without all five of their opening-night starters from last season, including national players Akeem Marsh, Charles Vanderpool and Ramon Simmons.
And facing the Cavs only made matters worse considering the league leaders have yet to lose after winning their 16th straight regular season contest dating back to last year.
They didn’t waste any time extending that streak either, having dropped 36 points within the first ten minutes of the game to open up a quick 20-point first-quarter lead on a wide array of drives, layups and uncontested jumpers.
It was almost as if they were taking turns scoring, as seven different players got into double digits – three of which werebench players.
The points came rather easy too, with St John’s showing absolutely no resistance inside the paint or even out on the perimeter.
At one point early in the fourth quarter Jamai Puckerin had three straight dunks, including a thunderous two-handed throw-down over two hapless defenders.
And that was after Darren Hunte, Dwayne Kellman, Granville Gittens, Kevin Sealy, Saeed Norville and Kevin Sealy were all ushered to the front of the rings for layups of various types during the course of the contest.
But as bad as St John’s were defensively they might’ve been times worse at the other end, particularly in a woeful second quarter where they managed a mere six points to be outscoredby 25.
About the only signs of life St John’s showed came early in the fourth when Jamar King led a run of seven straight points all while Sonics were already trailing by 49 (73-24).
And even that was short-lived, as Norville went coast to coast as the start of eight unanswered points.
Hunte finished with 20 points, Zachary Cave scored 17 and Kellman had 13 points and ten rebounds.
King and Darien Dawson led St John’s with 11 and ten points respectively.
Earlier, point guard Ruel Ritch had 16 points and six assists to lead Pan American International Insurance to a tough 65-59 win over Burger King Clapham Bulls.
Dario Cumberbatch added 13 points and 12 rebounds and Manuel Alleng barely missed a double-double with ten points and nine boards.
Rahiim Gibbons led Clapham with 19 points and Jae Harris had 11 points and 11 rebounds. (JM)