G C Foster beat Exed 74-72 to retain Inter-Collegiate basketball title
DEFENDING champions G C Foster College held off a late burst from Excelsior Community College to win a thrilling Game Three 74-72 to clinch the best-of-three series Inter-Collegiate Basketball League 2-1 at the G C Foster College of Physical Education and Sports in Spanish Town, St Catherine, last week Saturday.
G C Foster had won Game One 72-69 at G C Foster College, while EXED won Game Two 82-76 at EXED Community College.
The Linford Brown-coached G C Foster College traded baskets from the start with the Rohan Robinson-coached EXED, as it was an evenly contested first quarter, with the defending champions taking a 22-17 lead at the break.
In the second quarter EXED players, led by Kwame Lawrence, Nagash Cockburn, and Anthony White, gained quickly on their opponents by scoring some quick baskets, but at the half-time break they still trailed 33-40.
However, the victors encreased the lead at the end of the third break, holding an 11-point lead at 62-51, primarily through the efficiency of Michael Schloss, Nick-Caro Golding, and Deveraux Preston.
Staring defeat in the face, EXED launched another effort to get themselves back into contention, and almost did, as they drew level at 70 points apiece with 42 seconds remaining on the clock.
Lawrence had a glorious opportunity to put EXED ahead when he got two free throws, but somehow he conspired to miss them both, thus leaving the door ajar for G C Foster to barge through and win the game 74-72.
The principal scorers for G C Foster College were Schloss, with a game-high 26 points and four assists; Golding with 19 points, seven rebounds and four assists; and Preston with 14 points, while for EXED Cockburn had 15 points and eight rebounds, Lawrence added 15 points, and White scored 11 points and had seven blocked shots.
Meanwhile, Mico University College defeated University of Technology, Jamaica (UTech) 69-50 to clinch third place. Top scorers for Mico were Jerome Thomas with 23 points and nine rebounds, Keneill Allen with 12 points, while for UTech Alex Levy got 14 points and Shamrock Blackstone added 12 points.
