Women’s basketball’s most ardent rivalry is reborn; even without the Clapham Bulls.
Toni Atherley, Sadé Clarke and Jennifer Joseph-Hackett have advanced to yet another finals showdown against Station Hill Cavaliers after the former Bulls “Big Three” combined for 47 points in UWI Blackbirds’ series-clinching 64-38 win over Urban Vybz St John’s Sonics at the Wildey Gym on Tuesday.
Former ten-time champs Station Hill Cavaliers celebrated the return of Jamila Studer (neé Griffith) by completing a telling two-game sweep with an 83-43 drubbing of Combined Schools Hoopsters.
It’s the fourth successive title matchup with the Lady Cavs for the trio, after they led Clapham to the last two league crowns before the highly publicized off season break-up of the champion Bulls.
But Clapham’s collapse didn’t signal the demise of the Big Three as they provided the star power propping up what was previously an ordinary outfit.
And nowhere was that more evident than a decisive third-quarter stretch that saw them account for all but four points of a game-changing 18-4 run in which Sonics were held to just two baskets.
St John’s didn’t fare that much better in the fourth either, scoring six points for the period as part of a woeful ten-point second-half performance that resulted in their being outscored by 21 points over the final 20 minutes.
This was after Sonics threatened to extend the best-of-three series by rallying from down 11 (32-21) in the second quarter to pull within just four (34-30) at the start of the third. However, Atherley squashed the run with two successive layups and a pair of free throws before Toni-Ann Johnson had two buckets of her own to sandwich more free throws from Clarke and Atherley.
Clarke then capped the decisive surge with a huge buzzer-beating three-pointer to end the quarter, while Joseph-Hackett put the game truly out of reach with a run of three successive buckets, including a strong baseline drive off the dribble.
The second-half rout was a far cry from the back-and-forth exchanges of a sloppy opening period in which both sides appeared content to trade baskets and turnovers in a 16-all deadlock.
But a Blackbirds blowout loomed menacingly after Clarke, Johnson and Atherley continually went behind Sonics’ atrocious transition defence for uncontested layups in a run of 11 unanswered points.
St John’s didn’t fold just yet, though, putting their signature zone press to good use while watching their opponents settle for several quick jumpers to end the half on a 7-2 surge.
The rally was short-lived as Atherley’s baskets on the other side of the break quickly blew the contest open.
Atherley led all scorers with 18 points, Joseph-Hackett had 15, while Clarke and Johnson finished with 14 and 11 points, respectively. Jackie Walcott was the lone Sonics player in double digits with 12 points.
Earlier, Studer struggled after entering the game in the second half, but still managed ten points in the fourth quarter as the Lady Cavs outscored their hapless opponents 56-17 over the game’s final two quarters.
And this came after Hoopsters managed to take advantage of Wanda Agard-Belgrave’s initial absence by scoring the first eight points of the contest on the way to a 23-17 lead.
But Station Hill never looked back after taking the lead on a 10-3 finish to the half, and the rout was truly on when Agard-Belgrave hit an unlikely three-pointer to start the third quarter.
Agard-Belgrave and Maria Cumberbatch led all scorers with 17 points apiece, Cherise Shepherd and Rhea Holder both added 12, while Tamisha Flatts chipped in with 11. Ashlee Daniel had a team-high 11 points for the schoolgirls.
The best-of-three finals start tonight at the YMCA.
