Police Service, led by Kielle Connelly, was crowned champion of the Women's Division in the National Basketball Federation of T&T's (NBFTT) National Invitational Championships (NIC) after defeating rivals Defence Force 77-50 in a lopsided affair on Sunday night at the Maloney Indoor Sports Arena.
In the absence of star player Jameela Mc Carthy due to injury, the Defence Force was clearly at a disadvantage from the jump falling to a 12-point deficit (8-20) in the first quarter of play. Despite the unavailability of the army/coastguard combination unit’s key contributor, forward Crystal-Ann George came out aggressive from the start as she scored six of Defence Force’s eight points heading into the second period.
With a defensive strategy by soldier/sailor team to limit the on-court production of Police’s key player Connelly, sharp-shooter Joelisa Cooper immediately stepped in offensively going three-for-three from behind the arc to add to the defending concerns of the Defence Force women.
Things went further downhill for Defence Force when the national player and dominant when centre-court player Afeisha Noel checked-in mid-way in the second quarter to strengthen the defensive presence of the Policewomen. With her strong display on both ends of the court, Noel easily registered 11 points and 17 rebounds, her second double-double performance in just two matches.
George relentlessly attempted to keep the army-coastguard unit in contention, recording a 20-point to 14-rebound double-double along with five steals. However, the more comprehensive Police group and a game-high 21-point performance by Connelly was too much for the Defence Force to withstand. Connelly was later named the "Most Valuable Player".
In the first match of the night, Brian Chase Basketball Academy (BCBA) and Enterprise-Maloney Combine (EMC) battled in an evenly contested matchup for the NIC third-place position.
Led by 13-year-old phenom Carissa Ramdial (13) and the athletic Breanna Charles (15), the youthful EMC group seemed to be in control of the match for the first three quarters.
Veteran forward Allison Young, along with a 15-point offering by 15-year-old Ize-Tao Best kept Brian Chase within striking distance despite trailing 25-34 at the end of the second quarter. Some timely scoring by centre Ornella George in the last period helped Brian Chase regain control, going up by seven points (58-51) in the closing minutes of the match.
Young, who led the team offensively all season finished with 26 points to secure Brian Chase’s third-place finish.
EMC’s 13-year-old Amariah Cline scored a season-high 12 points in her team’s fourth-place finish.
RESULTS
Final
Police 77 (Kielle Connelly 21 pts/4 asts/5 rebs, Joelisa Cooper 15 pts/10 rebs/2 asts, Afeisha Noel 11 pts/17 rebs/1 blk, Leslie-Ann Bacquain 9 pts/6 rebs/3 stls) vs Defence Force 50 (Crystal-Ann George 20 pts/14 rebs/5 stls, Leah Kintiba 8 pts/9 rebs/5 stls, Trimmaine Ganteaume 8 pts/2 rebs/1 ast, Ayana Mack 7 pts/9 rebs/1 stl). Quarter scores: 1st. 20-8, 2nd. 45-16, 3rd. 57-33 (All in favour of Police).
Third place
BCBA 58 (Allison Young 26, Ize-Tao Best 15, Ornella George 8) vs EMC 51 (Breanna Charles 15, Carissa Ramdial 13, Amariah Cline 12). Quarter scores: 1st. 16-16, 2nd. 34-25 (EMC), 3rd. 42-42.
Special Awards
MVP: Kielle Connelly (Police)
Best Defensive Player: Tia Bruno (Police)
Most Promising Player: Carissa Ramdial (Enterprise-Maloney)
Top Performing Coach: Ashton Peters (Police)
Most Outstanding Manager: Mellio Campbell (Police)
Most Outstanding Physio: Wayne Samuel (Defence Force)