National High School Basketball Championship matchups set

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A full house cheered on during a senior boys division game at the National High School Basketball Championships Sunday.

Following three grueling semifinal matchups yesterday, the championship matchups in each division for the National High School Basketball Championships (NHSBC) have now been determined.

NHSBC action continued Sunday at both the St. George’s and Sir Jack Hayward Gymnasiums in Freeport.

In senior boys play, Jack Hayward cruised to a 47-29 lead over Anatol Rodgers. Jalen Hall had 15 points and four rebounds and McKell Bethel added 12 points and 12 rebounds for the Wildcats.

Anatol was plagued by matchup issues the entire game, and was not able to contend with the Wildcats in the paint.

Jack Hayward won the battle on the glass 57-34 and got most of its baskets within 15-feet of the rim. Jack Hayward built up a 13-point lead by the end of the third and controlled the remainder of the game.

“We gave a great effort today,” said Wildcats coach Desmond Bowleg.

“That’s how it is with nationals. You have to be ready to play because every game you play the best. But we played tough and look forward to the next round.”

Kirklyn Farrington led the Timberwolves with eight points and four rebounds.

The Wildcats move on to take on number-one seeded Tabernacle Baptist, the only undefeated team remaining in the division.

Tabernacle booked a spot in the finals after defeating Anatol on Saturday. The Falcons also scored wins over St. George’s and Eight Mile Rock.

In the Family Island/Small Schools division, Agape Christian came all the way back to beat out Patrick J Bethel, which led through the first three quarters. Agape used a 7-0 fourth quarter run to storm ahead and never surrendered the lead. Oswald Meadows had a tournament-high 33 points in the win, while Welton Cherisme added 23 points.

Dremiko McIntosh led Patrick Bethel with 21.

“Our roster is probably one of the most talented out there, but the guys don’t always play tough. However, tonight they played tough,” said Eagles coach Stephan Johnson.

“We were the more experienced team, and I’m glad the guys were able to fight the way they did late.”

Agape takes on reigning division champs Gateway Christian today in the league final. Gateway has won every game by 20 or more up to this point. It earned another trip to the finals following an 81-64 win over Patrick Bethel.

And in the senior girls division, there will be a rematch of last year’s final between Prince William and Doris Johnson. Both teams cruised to easy wins last night.

Doris stormed by Bishop Michael Eldon 54-39, while the Falcons earned a 56-38 win over St. George’s. Briontae Riley has 22 points and 23 rebounds for the Marlins in the win, while Brianna Stevens had 14 points, nine rebounds and five steals for Prince William.

About Randy Smith

Randy Smith is the producer of the widely-watched local television show “Beyond The Headlines” and the web content manager of Eyewitness News. He joined Eyewitness News as a sportscaster in 2018, a role he still performs, and has previously covered a slew of international sporting events, including the 2015 Pan American Games, the Nike EYBL Showcase, several IAAF World Relays, the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup, the Commonwealth Youth Games, the Bahamas Bowl and multiple CARIFTA Swimming and Track & Field Championships. Randy has been recognized by the Bahamas Press Club with awards for “Best Sports Broadcast” as a sportscaster and “Best TV Talk Show” as a producer.