Colts, Ravens secure one point wins against each other in Open, U23 finals

Colts secured the Open division title while Ravens claimed the U23 accolade when the round two of the Turbo Hard-Court Basketball Championships concluded at the Plaisance Community Court Sunday.

In the Open final, Colts edged Ravens 47-46 margin with Shelroy Thomas’s 15 points, the top score while Ryan Gullen scored 14 points for the losers.

The fixture was clearly a game of two halves as Colts survived a second half blitz from Ravens to take the title after leading 24-13 at the halftime interval.

Colts secured a marginal 10-7 advantage at the end of the first quarter, before extending their lead by outscoring Ravens 14-6 in the second quarter.

However, Ravens turned the tide in the third quarter, narrowing the deficit to three points (31-28) after out-hustling Colts 15-7.

Ravens almost secured the come-from-behind win in the final period, falling one point short as they outscored Colts 18-16.

In the U23 final earlier, Ravens squeaked past Colts 40-39. Denzil Phillips recorded seven points and 10 rebounds in the win while Sebastian Luke contributed seven points.

For the losers, Timothy Thompson led the way with a double-double of 12 points and 16 rebounds. The youth fixture was similar to the senior contest, with the main difference being the eventual victor.

Colts took the early lead with an 11-9 showing in the first period, before Ravens established a one point advantage at the end of the second quarter. The latter led 20-19 at the start of the third period after outscoring Colts 11-8.

It then became 31-31 entering the fourth period as Colts battled to take the third stanza 12-11. Ravens eventually prevailed as they scored nine points to Colts eight points in the final quarter.

Action in the event is set to continue tomorrow with the third leg at the National Gymnasium outdoor venue.

The overall divisional winners of the event will be the teams that wins two out of the three stages. Winner of the opening stage held at the Burnham Court were Ravens and Pacesetters in the Open and U23 sections respectively.