MONTEGO BAY, St James — Mt Alvernia High will start today’s final of the ISSA Western Conference Girls’ basketball completion as favourites when they take on Herbert Morrison Technical at the Montego Bay Cricket Club in the game set to start at 4:00 pm.

Mt Alvernia High who are in their third straight final, and seeking their third win since 2014, are unbeaten though eight games in the regular season, and have beaten the former champions twice.

Both finalists will represent the region in the national play-offs later this year.

Two other former champions — William Knibb Memorial, the national champions in 2012, and Muschett High, who won the western title in 2010 and 2011 — are to meet in the first game of the double-header to decide third place.

Mt Alvernia High finished the regular season with a perfect 16 points, three more than Herbert Morrison, with William Knibb Memorial on 12 points and Muschett High on nine.

William Knibb had scored two lop-sided wins over Muschett in the regular season and are expected to win again today.

Mt Alvernia won their second title in 2017 and were beaten by Holland High last year, but are expected to be the first school to win three titles.

In scoring the most points during the regular season, they had two wins over Herbert Morrison — who won the first two staging of the competition — winning by seven points 29-22 in their first meeting and then 43-18 last week.

Tiana Wilson who played in the teams that made it to the last two finals, but missed the first half of this season, will add significant experience to the team. She, along with Ashley Amore and Chrisania Thorpe, should be too much for the Herbert Morrison team.

Herbert Morrison, who returned to the competition after a long lay-off, got off to a good start, winning their first three games, but then won only two of their next five.

Kerry-Kay Stephenson and Leasa-loy Lesie are the top players for Herbert Morrison along with Danyce Murray, but they would have to play well above their previous best to win today.