ARDENNE High took one step closer to defending their KFC Southern Conference Under-16 Schools Basketball title after scoring a nail-biting 49-48 victory over St Jago High in their semi-final at the National Stadium Courts yesterday.

The Basil Barret-coached Ardenne will square off with St Catherine in the final after the Spanish Town-based school turned back Kingston College (KC), 44-35, in the other semi-final.

In the feature, Ardenne led from the outset and made their opponents work to make up ground.

After the first quarter they were ahead, 16-10, and they stretched their lead by three points at half-time after outscoring their opponents, 12-9, in the second quarter for a 28-19 advantage at the half.

After the third quarter ended even at 12-12, the teams went into a dramatic final quarter with St Jago reducing the deficit to three points (42-45) with two minutes remaining.

Ardenne then pulled away to take a 49-42 lead, but St Jago again reduced the lead to two points (47-49) with less than 20 seconds on the clock.

Although they went to the free-throw line with 0.9 seconds left, Kaneir Bromfield netted only one of his two throws and the two-time defending champions came away with the win at the death.

Barrett said when St Jago looked as if they would overtake them he called a time-out for a word of prayer. “Only prayer could bring us through, and it work,” he beamed.

Javon Davis led the winners with a game-high 18 points and 18 rebounds, and he received good support from Alexander Nicholson with 14 points.

Kalief Clarke and Ryan Thompson both posted 14 points for St Jago; Bromfield and Jason Walker both scored 10 points and nine and eight rebounds, respectively.

In the opening game St Catherine, led by a game-high 18 points and nine rebounds from Akeem Brooks, and Kishawn Gibbons with 14 points, came from behind to clip Kingston College at the end.

Jamie Hugh Brown was KC’s topscorer with 16 points, followed by Zachary McLeod with eight. The North Street boys led 19-11 after the first period and 26-20 at half-time.

However, St Catherine cut their lead to four at the end of the third period (34-30) and then flew past their opponents in the latter stages of the fourth quarter.

KC scored a free-thow to push their lead to 35-30 at the start of the final period, but that was as far as they went as the Spanish Town boys closed the gap, 35-34, midway the quarter before Brooks scored three consecutive baskets to give the Lennox Lindo-coached outfit a nine-point win at the end.

Lindo said although he was worried that the game might have been getting away from them in the early stages, his team stuck to the plan and came through.