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Defending
Champs Lady Avs, Angels Secure Finals Berth
Reigning League MVP, Nicole Dias led her team for 14
points as the Lady Avalanche hammered Mobay Pacers in
their FBL semi-final clash at the Montego Bay Cricket
Club court on Sunday evening.
Lady Avs held the Pacers to a 13 first quarter points
while scoring 20 points of their own. The second quarter
remained consistent to the first as both teams created
stops on defense and executed well on offense. However,
Lady Avs proved to be the better team as they went into
the break dominating, they led 19-13 to go into the half
time break 39-26
The third quarter proved to be the determining quarter
of this match. Pacers allowed themselves to succumb to
wrenching pressure from their opponents. As a result
Pacers only managed to score three (3) points compared
to the champions twenty-four (24).
Despite what seemed to be a lost cause as the game
resumed in the fourth quarter - showed much heart and
never went down without a fight. They equaled Lady Avs’
scoring prowess, both teams racking up 26 total points
divided equally both ways (13-13). Dias completed her
stats with good numbers in addition to her 14 points,
she also grabbed 9 rebounds and made 6 steals. added 11
points and 1 rebound, whileShibon Spence Mahavia
Findlator scored 11 points, 3 rebounds and 3 steals.
This loss has ended Mobay Pacers’ FBL season despite
good individual performances from Raquel Boothe who
scored team and game-high 15 points. She was supported
by Samantha Dennison and Jennifer Wilson with 9 points
respectively. Nevertheless, the defending champions Lady
Avalanche advances and gets the opportunity to create
further history, becoming only the first female team to
reach the finals two years in a row.
It will be a matter of third time lucky for the Mobay
Angels next weekend when they line up against the Lady
Avalanche in the FBL grand final who will be trying to
defend their title.
A 68-62 tough victory against the Naldi Lady Knights in
Game two on Sunday evening secured the Angels a grand
final berth and their third meeting in as many weeks.
Naldi Lady Knights took the game to the ‘halo-girls’ and
never ran out of steam till midway the fourth quarter.
Angels’ never seemed comfortable in the outset as the
Naldi executed well at both ends of the court.
Alicia Dawkins got the scoring underway for the Knights
and was well supported at both ends of the court by
Shadiann Hemmings and Rita Spence. They helped the
Knights to a four-point lead as Angels began to find its
rhythm and started closing the gap through Donesha Love
and Ladonna Lamonth. The quarter ended 10-6.
In the second quarter, Knights extended themselves and
the momentum stayed with them for the rest of the
quarter as they went into the first break 37-20 lead.
Knights continued to pull away when the teams came back
out on court and extended its lead to fourteen points
before Love started to find her range and inspired an
Angels’ comeback, eventually winning the quarter 20-17.
Despite winning this quarter they still trailed 54-40.
Realizing their season was one the line, Knights tried
to comeback but The Angels' defense inside slowed the
Knights’ shooting in the final stanza and some hard work
from guard Love ensured Angels’ offence remained on
song, while mistakes in offence and a flurry of fouls
from Knights’ killed any hopes they were outscored
Knights’ 28-8. Love ended top-scorer with 30 points, 4
rebounds and 3 steals. Lamonth scored 13 points and
pulled game-high 21 rebounds along with Omeisha Peterkin
11 points and 4 rebounds. For the losers, Dawkins led
Knights with 19 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists.
Hemmings added 16 points and 13 rebounds while Spence
contributed with 14 points and 11 boards.
Action will continue this Sunday in the FBL grand-final
tips-off at 6pm.
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