By Kiev Chesney
Defending champions Kwakwani will try to make it two in a row when they take on Orin Rose and the revenge-seeking Linden Technical Institute (LTI) in today’s final of 2008 Pepsi National Schools’ Basketball Festival.
The level of the play in this year’s tournament has been at its highest in the three-year history of the competition and the allowance of players who would have left school within a year to play for their old school teams allowed Kwakwani’s Shelroy Thomas and Leron La Fleur to bring the defending champion back into the championship game.
Both teams endured testing opponents on their way to the finals but this time around LTI can boast of a much improved Travis Leitch and Orin Rose in their infantry.
After getting past their Georgetown counterparts (GTI) in the first round, LTI disposed of Wismar/Christianburg Secondary (WCS) 55-35 yesterday.
While Rose orchestrated the offence and created good look openings for his players, Leitch did the dirty work down low and ended with a team-high of 16 points two of which came by means of a rim-shaking, two- handed stuff after picking-off an inbound past in the second half.
Wismar/Christianburg’s Stravin Ettiene registered a game-high 20 points before his departure from the tournament.
Kwakwani crushed tournament ‘Cinderella’ President’s College 57-34 in the first semi final yesterday to get one game closer to returning to the winners’ circle.
Leading candidate for the Most Valuable Player award Thomas led his team in scoring just as he has done for the entire tournament, adding 14 points while Marlon Russell and Leron La Fleur added 10 and nine points respectively.
The President’s College players, who had hustled after every loose ball and banged their bodies to upset Plaisance 49-33 in the quarter-finals, did not pack enough punch to dethrone the defending champions despite a valiant effort.
Richard Mohandatt improved on his 10 points from the previous day and top scored with 15 while Willon Cameron was 12 points short of his 20 point performance against Plaisance.
Kwakwani also booted Mackenzie High along with its star point guard Akeem Kanhai from the tournament in the quarter-finals 45-33.
Kanhai, who is one of the leading prospects for this year’s Inter-Guiana Games (IGG) team, scored 17 points but could not match Kwakwani’s trio of Trevor Wilson (13) Thomas (16) and La fleur (10) who combined for 39 points.
In a post game interview with Stabroek Sport, Thomas said: “Some of the earlier games were tough and took a lot out of me but every game I refocused and we continue to do what we came to do and that is, go all the way again.
“We got there before and we know what we have to do so it is just a question of focusing and playing the way we know,” he said.
Bishops’ High School reached the furthest for any Georgetown team but were eliminated by WCS 43-41.
Wismar/Christianburg were led by Ettiene’s 17 points while Sean Lashley scored 15 and Yannick Dundas 10 points for Bishops’ High.
Today’s all-Region 10 final, will feature the upbeat and multidimensional offence of Kwakwani led by Thomas going against the three point `Wonder Boy’ Rose and low post nightmare Leitch for the title of `King of Schools Basketball’.
