Maybe Premier League basketball’s big rivalry isn’t dead after all.
Even if Station Hill’s hopes look so at the moment.
Mark Bridgeman had ten of his game-high 24 points in the fourth quarter, including seven during a decisive 19-7 closeout run that helped Lumber Company Lakers keep a pesky Station Hill Cavaliers winless with Saturday’s gritty 89-75 win at the Barbados Community College.
It was the latest showdown of an epic series that includes a trio of knockout title games (2005, 2008, 2012), three league finals matchups (2007, 2008, 2010) and four successive post-season encounters (2007-2010).
But these Cavs (0-2) haven’t looked anything like the champion teams that featured prominently in those classic contests, with the young rebuilding side losing their second straight game to start the season following yet another disastrous late-game performance.
What this clash might’ve lacked in terms of memorable finishes it sure made up in intensity, though, as neither side gave an inch, nor led by double digits until Lakers went ahead 67-57 with seven minutes remaining.
And even then Station Hill still weren’t out of the contest, with Saeed Norville spurring a menacing 7-2 rally that brought them within five (69-64) at the five-minute mark.
However, Bridgeman put an end to the threat with a run of six successive points that were sandwiched by two clutch Andre Lockhart treys and capped by a long-range bomb from Keefe Birkett.
While somewhat hasty, Bridgeman’s shot attempts proved effective in the end after he muscled between two defenders for a basket in the paint, earned a pair of free throws and made good on a quick pull-up jumper early in the shot clock. He even assisted on Matthew Moore’s banker for good measure, putting the punctuation mark on a 19-7 surge (88-71) that ended any doubts over the game’s possible outcome.
It was a result that seemingly could’ve gone either way while the two adversaries traded blows, scores and leads for the first three quarters of what shaped up to be another instant classic in the epic series.
Uncharacteristically sloppy, Lakers never found their groove offensively while missing open jumpers and failing to account for rookie forward Jamario Clarke in the paint. They also seemed to have trouble finding Darren Hunte in transition, but Station Hill simply doomed their own cause with needless turnovers.
Lakers then looked certain of putting away their equally listless opponents when a pair of Ormond Haynes baskets towards the end of the third fuelled a mini run that Bridgeman and Birkett capped with long jumpers on the other side of the break (67-57).
Lockhart finished with 18 points while Birkett, Haynes and Ian Alexander each added 11 for Lakers, who improved to a 2-0 record. Hunte top-scored for Station Hill with 16 and Norville had 12.
Earlier, swingman Ramon Simmons erupted for a season-best 38 points in his first game against former team Smalta Pinelands to lead Urban Vybz St John’s Sonics to an 86-57 blowout victory.
Going 15 of 26 from the floor, Simmons pillaged each clueless Pine defender sent his way off a series of unbelievable step-back jumpers and pull-up treys. Sonics only led 38-36 in spite of his 21-point first-half assault, but they managed to pull away at the end of the third quarter following Rommel Garnes’ run of nine straight points (59-46).
Garnes ended with 15 points as Sonics improved to 1-1, while Charles Vanderpool led Pinelands (1-1) with 19 points and 12 rebounds.