Western teams gear for Flow NBL Play-offs

Goyan Malcolm of Catherine Hall All-Stars (right) tries to get by Granville Jaguars’ Otis Foster in Tuesday’s first game of the best-of-three Flow NBL-west finals at the Montego Bay Cricket Club. Malcolm scored 15 points as Catherine Hall won the game 60-53 to take the lead. (Photo: Paul Reid)

The poor weather that has affected western Jamaica over the past two weeks has played havoc with the finals of the Flow NBL-west series as organisers have managed to get in just one game of the best-of-three series.

Catherine Hall beat title favourites Granville Jaguars, 60-53, at the Montego Bay Cricket Club on Tuesday to take a 1-0 lead in the series and after two postponements later in the week, Game Two is tentatively set for tomorrow at the same venue.

Meanwhile, both western teams were to have started their quest for honours in the National Play-offs with games at the Montego Bay Cricket Club this afternoon, but those matches were called off due to a flash flood warning sent out by the Met Office.

In Tuesday's game on a surface that was slick after an earlier shower, Catherine Hall, who beat Granville twice this season, dominated the game, out-hustling their rivals for a big win.

Catherine Hall led 17-14 and 30-22 after the first two quarters before Jaguars came back to lead, 39-37, at the end of the third quarter, but had no answer to All-Stars who outscored them 23-14 in the final period.

Led by 15 points each by Goyan Malcolm and Kurt Dorman, All-stars got off to a good start and were up 12-4 before Granville responded with a 13-0 run of their own from the end of the first into the second quarter.

A late rally by All-Stars, outscoring Granville 8-2 in just over two minutes midway the fourth quarter, separated the teams.

Malcolm had 12 rebounds and eight assists to go with his 15 points, while Dorman had 15 rebounds.

Marvin Powell scored 12 points, nine rebounds and eight assists, while Jermaine Rerrie scored nine points and had 27 rebounds.

Leroy Lawrence scored 15 points for Granville, along with 10 rebounds, while Huwayne Blake scored 14 points and 10 rebounds.


Source: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/sport/Western-teams-gear-for-Flow-NBL-Play-offs_8965134#ixzz1P7v4jNmT