Hard Rock Boys Secures Threepeat in Williams Dawson Basketball

Goodnight and welcome to another edition of Sports Monday, I am Paul Lopez. The William Dawson Sprite Basketball Tournament reached a thrilling conclusion on Sunday afternoon at Swift Hall. The battle for third place was a heart-stopping showdown between the Hattieville Underdogs and Don 1. The game kept fans on the edge of their seats until the very end. Here are some highlights from the final moments, featuring the Underdogs in their striking red and blue jerseys and Don 1 in their vibrant yellow and blue uniforms. Thirty seconds left in the fourth, the Underdogs up by four and Don 1 in possession.

 

Paul Lopez, Reporting

Lincoln Hemsley found Aldane Swazo who instantly passed the ball to overto the corner three position. That shot was no good, but Swazo was there to recover. Ball to Godfrey Arnold at the three-point line. You can see clearly where Underdogs’ Herman Ramos pushed Arnold mid-shot. Arnold was not happy with that play. The officials rewarded Don 1 with four free throws. That included a technical foul. And, they also got possession of the ball, after Arnold made two of the four. Markuest Arnold with the drive and the layup to make it a one-point ball game with seven point nine seconds on the clock. Underdog’s Zahir Harris is fouled. He makes one of two free throws rewarded.

 

Arnold with the rebound. A long pass to Demitre Dougal. Glenford Gillett gets the ball, and Ramos again with a foul, this time on Gillett. With point one second on the clock, Gillett has an opportunity to take this one into overtime.  Under the weight of mounting press he misses the first free throw. They tried to go for a quick play on the second attempt, but that failed. The Hattieville Underdogs were named the 2024 Williams Dawson Sprite Basketball Tournament Bronze Medalists. The championship match between the back-to-back defending champions, the Hard Rock Boys, and the Orange Court Generals had everyone buzzing with excitement. The Orange Court Generals, donning their vibrant orange jerseys, made an impressive run to the finals in their debut season. Meanwhile, the Hard Rock Boys, clad in white and yellow, were determined to secure a historic three-peat. The stage was set for an unforgettable showdown.

 

Hard Rock Boys were navigating troubled waters by the end of the first quarter. With the Generals displaying a higher level of organization and accuracy out of the gate, they finished the first quarter with eight points, over Hard Rock’s five points. But the Hard Rock Boys made some necessary adjustments going into the second. Earl Bolo Johnson with the put-back to keep the game within reach. Travis “Turbo” Bermudez shifting gears to get the basket and the foul on the inside, giving the Hard Rock Boys their first lead of the game. Hard Rock Boys finished the first half with sixteen points, while holding the Orange Court Generals to ten points. And they did not let go of their lead for the rest of the game.

 

Ultimately, the Hard Rock Boys, back-to-back defending champions, made history by becoming the first team to achieve a three-peat since the tournament’s inception in 2016. Their remarkable feat has set a new benchmark for excellence in the competition. This one finished with a score of thirty-three to twenty-six points. Hard Rock’s number ten, Raheem Thurton was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player. The championship team walked away with five thousand dollars.  This tournament honors the legacy of the late William Dawson, and it is all about bringing rivaling communities together to work out their differences through basketball.

 

Douglas Hyde, Coordinator, Williams Dawson Tournament

“I am proud to announce there was no major incident to speak on. But please hear this, for the first time in this tournament, there was nobody who got murdered, nobody who got arrested for attempted murder and murder, that is a huge accomplishment.”

 

Talking about huge accomplishments, Cory Williams secured gold for Belize at the 2024 Caribbean Elite Road Championships in Guyana. Here is the moment Williams crossed the finish line ahead of a ten-man group of lead riders, courtesy Victor Rutherford. Here they come, here goes the attack. We have Cory Williams to the front. We got Cory Williams to the front. We got Cory Williams. Cory Williams from Belize. He let them out and what he launched was it. Belize has won the Caribbean Championship. Cory Williams was released he hit the nitro and he was gone. So Belize is excited here with this win by Cory Williams. Additionally, Derrick “Young Phenom” Chavarria, won the silver medal in the Under- Twenty-Three Road Race, also held in Guyana. These are proud moments for Belize, and we say congratulations to team Belize for representing us well in the region.

 

And now for some highlights from the last game in the Inter-Office Basketball League’s semifinals. On Friday night Team Police and Team Airport Authority played their final match in a three-game series to determine who will place against Tuff-E-Nuff in the finals. These teams were neck and neck in the first two quarters, ending the first half at thirty to twenty-nine points in favor of team Police. In the third quarter, Police came out of the locker room with increased efficiency, scoring ten more points than their opponents, ballooning their lead to eleven points. Ultimately, Police are headed to the finals to face off against Tuff-E-Nuff in a series that promises excitement and endless highlight reels.

 

And finally, we end tonight’s coverage of Sports Monday with high praises for the Saint Catherine Academy’s and Saint John’s College’s volleyball teams for winning their high school regional volleyball tournament. This is SJC’s third year winning the regional tournament and SCA’s thirtieth year, talk about dominance. They are headed to the national tournament to compete against the top high school teams from across three other regions. Well folks, that is all we have for you in tonight’s coverage of Sports Monday. Catch you in the next one.