Adrian Frater, News Editor
Dufton Shepherd (left) of Avalanche turns sharply as Hooper's Omar Taylor tries to relieve him of the ball during Saturday night's Game Four of the 2008 Western Basketball Association (WBA) Lucozade Men's Championship final at Montego Bay Cricket Club courts. - Photo by Adrian Frater
WESTERN BUREAU:
A FIFTH game is now required to decide the winner of the Western Basketball Association (WBA) Lucozade Men's Championship as Inner City Avalanche won Sunday night's Game Four showdown against Hoopers to level the best-of-five series 2-2.
In what was a ding-dong battle at the Montego Bay Cricket Club courts, the Galton Taylor-coached Avalanche rallied back solidly after losing the first quarter 10-15 and the third quarter 11-17 to snatch victory through their 24-13 and 21-17 efforts in the second and fourth quarters.
Special effort
"We knew there was no way back if we lost tonight because we came into the game trailing 2-1," said an elated coach Taylor. "I asked the players for a special effort tonight and they came out and gave it their all. We will now be looking for a similar effort in Game Five."
For Hoopers, they must be cursing their luck as the original Game Four, which was being played on Friday night, ended prematurely in the fourth quarter as heavy rain forced the players off the court. At the time, they had a 57-55 lead with the momentum in their favour.
On Sunday night, it was all drama as Hoopers started the game in ominous form and had a five-point advantage at the end of the quarter. However, the resolute Avalanche, with their title aspirations on the line, fought back gallantly and kept on battling away until the final whistle.
In snatching victory, Avalanche got yeoman's service from Cleon Morgan, who led all scorers with a game-high 16 points. He was well supported by Chayne Topey, with 13 points; Nicolas Watson and Wayne Morris, who got 10 points each.
Despite the loss, the Hoopers team, which won games One and Three of the series, got encouraging performances from Nicholas Daye, who got 13 points, and Andrae Morgan, who scored 10 points. Ryan Bolt and Omar Taylor also played well.
"We should have wrapped up this series in three games, but after winning Game One, we allowed them back in Game Two and now we have given them another chance by losing Game Four," said Hoopers' top player, Morgan. "We just have to find a way to get it right in Game Five."
The eventual champion will take home the coveted Lucozade Trophy and $300,000 and earn qualification for next year's National Basketball League, which is contested by the nation's top teams.
