Finalists chase lead in ISSA urban Game 1 basketball clashes

Game 1 of the best-of-three finals in the urban area ISSA under-16 and under-19 basketball competitions tip off today at Campion College with Jamaica College (JC) opposing Wolmer's Boys' in under-16 action at 2 p.m., while defending champions Campion College will face St George's College in the senior contest at 3:30 p.m.

JC advanced to the under-16 finals after getting by Campion College 2-0 in their best-of-three semi-final series, while Wolmer's surprised St George's College 2-1 in their semi-finals.

In the under-19 semi-finals, defending champions Campion College got past Camperdown High 2-0. Their second game ended in controversy after Camperdown failed to take the court following extra time, forfeiting the match to their opponents.

In the other semi-final, St George's College eked out a 2-1 win over JC.

Both under-19 coaches -- Ryan Martel of Campion College and Clifford Brown of St George's College -- are oozing with confidence.

"We are very elated to be in the finals. We are anticipating a very intense, uptempo and fierce game against our opponent," said Martel. "It is the best-of-three finals and we are hungry to win, so we are looking to take Game 1."

St George's last title came in 2022, and after losing by two points to their opponents away earlier in quarter-final action, Brown is aiming to go all the way.

"We expect a battle royale. We are anticipating a tough matchup against a formidable opponent," he said.

"We at St George's College have left no stone unturned in our preparation, and we are ready to take on the task of defeating the defending champions," added an upbeat Brown.

New champions will be crowned in the under-16 finals. The Howard Harvey-coached Wolmer's Boys', who showed resilience in edging home team St George's by two points in overtime to advance to the finals, will be hoping for another top performance to take an early lead in the series.

However, after coming close to advancing two teams to the finals, JC's coach Duane Cunningham will not want to leave empty-handed this season. His team will be aiming to draw first blood ahead of their second game on Monday at St George's College.