TEAM Kingston won its two scheduled games on the second day’s pool play to become the only local team to make it to the semi-finals of the JamRockerz Basketball Classic hosted in Montego Bay, St James.

The three overseas-based teams complete the semi-final set-up.

Kingston defeated Montego Bay 46-44 at the end of double overtime, after regulation time ended with the teams tied at 41 apiece. It required a second overtime period to break the deadlock as no basket was scored in the first instance.

Kingston’s best player, Lebron Lewinson scored 19 points and had seven rebounds, while Montego Bay’s Diare Patterson bagged 10 points, three rebounds, and two steals.

Kingston came back on court to narrowly defeat Trelawny 56-53, after looking like they were out of the game during the first half. Malik Edwards with 16 points and five rebounds led the way for Kingston, while Evire Hines contributed eight points and three steals to Trelawny’s total.

Trelawny lost its first game of the day to Canada’s Hardwood Kings 45-50. Trelawny’s Christian Handon posted 17 points, one rebound, and two steals to Hardwood Kings’ Elijah Deyon who recorded 16 points and one rebound.

The other game of the day was a one-point heartbreaker, with Hardwood Kings emerging 53-52 winners over Montego Bay. Reike Brown of Montego Bay dominated with 26 points, two rebounds and a steal, while Hardwood Kings had 16 points.

Montego Bay’s Coach Dave Black thought his team did well and could have made the semi-final if they had held their nerve in the dying moments of their games.

“We played against Team Takeover yesterday and we lost by two. I think [for] all the games we [lost] by one or two. I think that in the last three minutes in the game we need a little bit more focus from the players to just carry us over the line to a victory. But, I think some of our young players — some of our 15- and also our 17-year-olds — I think they stepped up well [in] playing [against] some of those bigger guys,” he said.

The semi-final match-ups are eagerly anticipated, with Kingston taking on Team International and Team Takeover facing off with Hardwood Kings on the final day of competition.

Wayne Dawkins, the event organiser and coach of Kingston, said the JamRockerz Basketball Classic can only help to improve youth basketball on the island.

“This has been an event that we have been working on for a while, because we understood that in order to raise the level of basketball for the youth here in Jamaica we needed to encourage teams from North America, international teams, to come and compete.

“We had several challenges with that over the years. Obviously, infrastructure — we need a place to play that is cost-effective — so this partnership with Montego Bay Community College where we can put in this floor, indoor wooden floor, right here in the heart of the tourist district [is a plus],” Dawkins said.

The JamRockerz Basketball Classic is sponsored by Jamaica’s Tourism Enhancement Fund; NBA Houston Rockets pro player Tari Eason; and Kingston Marley, grandson of legendary musician Bob Marley and founder of the Children for Change charity.