May Madness 2019 began last Friday at the Campion College basketball court with a brief opening ceremony before the school’s principal Grace Baston cut the MM2019 ribbon declaring the competition open.

The competition got under way in fine style with the opening match from the Western Conference between Sonics and Shottas ending in a tied score of 25 points each at the end of regulation time. The Shottas would emerge victorious at the end of overtime with the final score Shottas 27, Sonics 25.

In the other match in the Western Conference, the Giants would loom large over Action Jamaica All-Stars with the final score in their match 30-20. Action Jamaica did get the crowd buzzing when the lone female player in the competition, Serena Prendergast of Meadowbrook High, got on the scoring leaderboard with a well-taken jump-shot despite their eventual reverse in the fixture.

The Eastern Conference was no less exciting with the predominantly Campion-based teams playing to an exciting 35-23 final score. Team Tre-Way with players from the Southern Conference all-star Under-16 team defeated the Mid-Range Kings, comprised mostly of Campion’s current Under-14 A team squad. Team Tre-Way did not have it all their own way, however, as the Mid-Range Kings improved steadily after a slow start to take a 19-14 half-time lead. However, the quality and size of Team Tre-Way came to the fore in the second half for them to finish the game reasonably comfortable.

The Eastern Conference also saw the Real Lions devour the Ballers in a more one-sided affair with the final score, Real Lions 50, Ballers 10.

At the end of the first day of this inaugural competition, the Shottas and the Giants are currently in the play-off spots in the Western Conference, while over in the East, the play-off spots are currently held by Real Lions and Team Tre Way.

May Madness continues today with Sonics looking for their first points against the Giants at 3:30 pm, followed by a top of the table clash in the East with Team Tre-Way taking on the Real Lions.

At 4:30pm the Shottas go against Action Jamaica All-Stars before the Mid-Range Kings take on the Ballers at 5:00 pm.

The top of the scoring leaderboard at the end of the first week shows Micah Swaine of Team Tre-Way, Campion leading with 16 points, followed by Jordan Gillies of Shottas, St George’s College with 14, Marcus Higgs of Real Lions, Old Harbour High on 12, Pierce McKenzie of Sonics, Jamaica College, on 11, Tadre Dickens of Real Lions, St George’s College, on 11.