MONTEGO BAY, St James — The disciplinary committee of the Western Basketball Association (WBA) has acted swiftly and come down hard on former Elite Basketball League (EBL) champions Granville Jaguars, banning the team and senior players from all basketball activities for one year.

MONTEGO BAY, St James — The disciplinary committee of the Western Basketball Association (WBA) has acted swiftly and come down hard on former Elite Basketball League (EBL) champions Granville Jaguars, banning the team and senior players from all basketball activities for one year.

The two-man committee found that Granville Jaguars brought Game Two of the best-of-three WBA Elite Basketball League against Catherine Hall All-Stars into disrepute when they walked off the Montego Bay Cricket Club court on Saturday, August 13 with 25 seconds to go in the third quarter, trailing 29-75, after they won the first game by four points 68-64.

“Granville Jaguars and the players will be banned from basketball for a year,” a release from the WBA said. It added that the club was fined $20,000 and player Dave Black fined $10,000 after he had taken the WBA EBL trophy from its display position and handed it over to the Catherine Hall team.

In handing down their decision the disciplinary panel said Granville “disregarded the requests of the officials and that of the WBA. Ultimately, showing disdain to the values of the sport, good sportsmanship and respect for all persons involved in the competition.”

Citing the rules of the International Basketball Federation (FIBA), the world’s governing body for basketball, the WBA had awarded the game to Catherine Hall, as well as the title.

However, there was some reprieve for three junior players on the Granville team, as Daniel Henry, David Peck and Ralique Grant all received “conditional sanctions,” the release said.

“As U-21 student athletes who benefited from being allowed to play in the Elite Basketball League under a special rule previously, will only be allowed to represent their school teams and participate with only such teams in the lower division. They are restricted from participating in the Elite Basketball League for no more than one year,” the release explained.

Granville Jaguars, the most dominant team in the EBL over the past two seasons, were trailing 29-75 with 25 seconds left in the third quarter of the game when their captain, Dave Black, protested a call by referee Ricardo Johnson.

Black is alleged to have verbally abused the official and was ejected from the game. It is heard that Black, a national player and a member of the coaching staff of the national Under-16 team, then took the trophy to the Catherine Hall team and walked off the court.

Under FIBA rules, a team that walks off the court and refuses to resume play when instructed to do so by the referees will forfeit not just the game, but the tournament.