Kwesi Mugisa, Staff Reporter
TIVOLI-ALL Stars erased all doubts regarding their deserving a place in the finals of the Jamaica Basketball Association (JBA) DHL Knockout Classic when they turned back the Harbour View Lakers 103-98 on Sunday night at the National Stadium outdoor courts.
Led by point guard Paul Oliphant who had an impressive 30-point effort and full control of the floor, the All-Stars, much to the delight of their fans, led from wire to wire and the Lakers didn't seem to have a real chance until a last ditch fourth quarter run.
In a game which proved to be a high flying, high scoring thriller, Tivoli were in control from the very start.
They jumped out at their opponents at the opening whistle, dominating a Laker team, who perhaps taking cue from their Los Angeles counterparts lacked any real defensive presence.
If the All-Stars' dominance of their defensive and Tivoli's offensive boards were impressive, their outside shooting was even better. Led by Jermaine Peart who racked up 20 points, Tivoli never looked like missing a shot from long range as they ran away from the Lakers with a 14-point fourth quarter lead.
THREAT OF NO CONTEST
Ordinarily a team would be pleased with a 22-point first half, the Lakers only problem was that the All-Stars had scored 36.
Between the continued hot shooting by Peart and the worries on the boards caused by Duken Brown, the All-Stars threatened to make the affair a no-contest as they led by 20 points with 1:52 left in the second quarter.
But the Lakers' answer would come through Christopher Walker. Walker, who finished up with 33 points, answered Tivoli with a few timely three pointers of his own.
A monster dunk over three Tivoli players from a fast break pass not only brought a cheering crowd to their feet, but also energised his team, sparking their belated comeback effort. But as a determined Tivoli kept scoring, the best efforts of Walker and Lakers' guard, Michael Jackson, who despite having a game high 36 points often took ill-advised shots, could only bring the Lakers to a 64-48 deficit at half-time.
However, their efforts would pick up in the third quarter - a huge Jackson three at the start of the quarter and block on the first Tivoli possession were a sign of things to come.
AN ENTHRALLING FINISH
Walker continued to play inspired basketball, looking to will his team back into the game. As his teammates began to buy into the philosophy, his team's defensive intensity picked up, making life a little bit more difficult for the All-Stars.
But the timely shooting by Tivoli, their quickness to the ball and their inside presence continued to bother the Lakers and at the end of the third quarter they were no closer to their target as the lead was now 86-68.
The game seemed a totally lost cause for the Harbour View team but with 3:59 left in the fourth a Jackson three and a steal and stuff by Walker re-energised the team for an enthralling finish.
"I believe our concentration at the end kind of eluded us and this is a concern of mine. They were gaining on us while we weren't scoring so we had to put our starters back in," was Tivoli's coach, Dennis Hutchinson's critique of an otherwise perfect game.
Though they did gain in the last few minutes of the game, cutting the lead to five with 45 seconds left in the game, for the Lakers team it was too little too late and not even the heroics of Jackson or Walker were enough to prevent the team's knockout fate.
Tivoli All-Stars will now face Urban Knights in the final of the event. It had originally been slated for Sunday so the date is still to be announced.
It is, however, expected to be played on either Saturday or Sunday.
