On Tuesday 24th, the Elvis Welding Services Road Stars defeated the Lily Valley Sharks by the final score of 81-74 pts, in game 3, of the best-of 3 semi-final playoffs. The teams came into this very important game, with the series ties at 1 game a piece, with the Sharks winning the 1st and the Road Stars, the 2nd. A victory for either team, would secure them a place in the finals. Both teams had their full squads available to them. The referees for the night were Mr. Allan Morris, Peggy & Mc’Dowe.
There was a lot of hype and suspense before this game. The crowd support on hand was again excellent, and certainly showed the quality and excitement of this league. The 1st quarter opened with both teams starting on fire, scoring their 1st 6 possessions each, with the Sharks having their 1st 3 as 3 pointers. The Road Stars though, kept the lead in the closing minutes, as it had been close in the opening, with ties and lead changes. The quarter closed off with the score being 23-17 in favor of the Road Stars. The 2nd period was a lot more close knit, with the Road Stars still controlling the game, but with the Sharks hot on their backs. Again with a lot of ties and lead changes. The Road Stars again pulled off a bit, at the ending of a quarter, but only slightly, and finishing up, with only a 3 point lead, 44-41.
With the 3rd quarter opening, the game was still very much in the balance, with both teams playing their own style of basketball, and doing what ever they could to control the game, and get the victory. The Road Stars continued to be in control, but each time they made a run, the Sharks kept on fighting back and getting into the game. The hard work did pay off for the Road Stars as they finally got the break they were looking for and went on a 8-0 run, and closed off the period leading by 13 pts, 65-52. The 4th quarter began, with a lot of noise coming from the Sharks fans, urging their team to get back into the game. And this was exactly what they did, with the Sharks players stepping up their game and slowly creeping back into it. They had gotten to within 4 points after being down as much as 15, but crucial turnovers and poor shot taking, ended all hopes of the victory. The Road Stars closed off the game, winning by 7 and securing a place in the finals, against either the Fond Canie Rebels or The Upper Village Hoosiers, who square off on Wednesday night.
Top performers for Road Stars – Julian Isles – 25 pts, 8 reb,
– Javeed Joseph – 17 pts, 3 reb, 3 asts
– Simon “To-To” Joseph – 14 pts, 5 reb, 3 blks
– Fitzgerald Daniel – 13 pts, 7 asts
Top performers for Sharks – Ray Charles – 22 pts, 3 reb
– Mathias “Bagalaw” Douglas – 18 pts, 5 reb, 3 asts
– Craig St. Rose – 12 pts, 4 reb, 6 asts
– Lester Denis – 11 pts, 4 asts
Next game – Wednesday Night – 7:30 p.m. – Fond Canie Rebels vs. Upper Village Hoosiers
Thanks for the update