Ballers clinch FBL with authority
The Unique
Ballers rolled the Naldi Lady Knights convincingly in
the 2009 WBA Female Basketball League grand final,
taking the game by 13 points and the trophy along with
it on Saturday afternoon at the Montego Bay Cricket Club
court.
The
game was close in the first two quarters with both teams
exchanging baskets and making defensive stops, Naldi
tooked the game to the defending champions, but somehow
the Unique Ballers were able to regroup and by the
half-time break held a marginal 5 point lead (27-22).
In the third, the Lady Knights would cool off and
couldn't make any appreciable inroads from this point on
which allowed the Ballers to surge ahead 44-30.
Lady Knights portrayed their intent to make this final
theirs by scoring six unanswered points at the beginning
of the final quarter. Alissa Dawkins and Rita
Spence were doing all the damage, and the Ballers
did a good job to contain them. Dawkins finished with 14
points, 4 boards and five steals, while Spence earned a
double-double of 12 points and 15 rebounds.
Shadian Hemmings followed with 11 points and 6
rebounds in a supporting role, all combined outscored
the Ballers 18-17, but this was not enough to derail the
champions who went on to win 61-48.
For the Trelawny-based team, Tracy-Ann Kelly made
22 points, 4 assists and five steals. Kashika Brown
added 18 and Dezan McLaren 7.
The win caps of their dominant season in 2009 where they
really were the benchmark for the competition and their
hands on back-to-back championships.
Game MVP: Tracy-Ann Kelly (Unique Ballers) By Khurt Comrie for WBA Media
The
game was close in the first two quarters with both teams
exchanging baskets and making defensive stops, Naldi
tooked the game to the defending champions, but somehow
the Unique Ballers were able to regroup and by the
half-time break held a marginal 5 point lead (27-22).
