Hydel lift South Conference U-19 crown

Tuesday, February 07, 2012

HYDEL High defeated St Andrew Technical (STATHS), 62-51, in Game Three of their KFC/South Conference Schools Basketball final yesterday to claim the Under-19 championship series, 2-1, at the National Stadium Courts.

Deano Hibbert topscored for the Kurt Stewart-coached Hydel with 19 points, and he was well supported by Dwayne Pottinger with 12 points and 11 rebounds, and Brian Richards with 10 points.

St Andrew's Keiron Dill posted a game-high 28 points in his side's losing effort, with his best support coming from Joel Smith with 11 points and 12 rebounds.

Winning coach Stewart credited his team's victory to the strong support of the school and that of principal Hyacinth Bennett.

"We did this by the grace of God and the support of the school... the boys played hard because the school demands hard work and discipline from them and it showed this evening," he said.

Hydel took the initiative from the opening whistle and despite both teams trading point for point, Hydel ended the first quarter ahead, 14-11.

The keenly-contested battle continued into the second quarter and with five minutes left on the clock, STATHS took the lead, 18-17, for the first time in the game.

But Hydel regained the lead instantly and went on to establish their biggest lead by eight points, 27-19, and held a six points 32-26 advantage at the half-time break.

STATHS came out business-like in the third quarter and cut four points into Hydel's lead, but the St Catherine school responded positively and once again pulled away to take a seven-point 42-35 lead entering the final period of the game.

In the fourth quarter, STATHS desperately tried to keep their opponents from pulling away, but they could find no answer for Hibbert and company.

STATHS close the lead to four points, 44-50, with just under four minutes remaining, but again, Hydel showed resilience and eventually pulled away for a comfortable victory.

STATHS coach Venrice Watson said his team gave it their best but Hydel showed their experience.

"The boys played well but after a while they stopped executing what they were supposed to and started playing a selfish game... so they lost their composure and at this level it takes experience to get you over the edge," he said.

The teams will now turn their attention to the All-Island final where Hydel are also the defending champions after beating STATHS in last season's final.