By Paul A. Reid, Staff Reporter
CORNWALL COLLEGE'S captain Jermaine Rerrie (centre) accepts the KFC Under-19 Western Conference schoolboy basketball champions trophy from marketing officer for KFC, Yushaine Morgan (left), and ISSA representative Dr. Walton Small following Friday's 77-32 win in Game Three of the finals over Merlene Ottey High at Montego Bay Cricket Club. - Paul Reid / Staff Photographer
WESTERN BUREAU:
CORNWALL COLLEGE won their second straight and fourth ISSA/Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) Western Conference Under-19 basketball title on Friday night when they overwhelmed Merlene Ottey 77-32 in the third game of the final series at the Montego Bay Cricket Club courts.
Cornwall College, which has played in all six finals since the start of the competition in 1998, won the series 2-1 and denied Merlene Ottey the double after the Hanover school won the Under-16 title by beating Muschett High 69-61 earlier.
Merlene Ottey had forced the third game in the Under-19 series after winning game two 56-53 after losing the first game 83-40.
They had no answer to the Richard McGhie coached Cornwall on Friday as the champions were able to rest all of their starters for the entire fourth period after leading 68-21.
Cornwall dominated from the start with Joel Gardener and Kirk McHayle dictating the pace against a hesitant Merlene Ottey team.
STRONG SECOND QUARTER
The Montego Bay school led 19-6 after the first quarter but a strong second quarter saw them knocking Merlene Ottey out of contention as they went into half time with a sizeable 29 points lead at 46-17.
Gardener led all scorers with 24 points, 13 rebounds, seven blocks and four steals, while McHayle had 16 points, Brenton Smith 10, Sheldon Barnes nine and captain Jermaine Rerrie had eight points and 12 rebounds.
Derval Watson carried the Merlene Ottey team with 23 points while Richard Davis scored six points and four rebounds.
In the Under-16 section, Lorenzo Watson came up big for Merlene Ottey with 29 points, seven rebounds, eight steals and 10 assists; Seprian Winter had 22 points, 10 rebounds, eight steals and four assists while Nakia Atkinson scored 14 points to go along with six rebounds and six assists.
Muschett's Eduardo Samuels led all scorers in a losing cause with 41 points, while Koutnal Wright and Vosett Green had eight points each.
