MACKENZIE High School (MHS) staved off a strong second half challenge from Linden Foundation Secondary winning by a basket 32-30 to retain their Linden Inter School’s Under 15 basketball championship, which was organised by the Ministry of Education and sponsored by the Victory Valley

Royals basketball club.

In the final played last Wednesady at the Mackenzie Sports Club hard court, Mackenzie High were coasting along at lemon time 21-7 against a Linden Foundation side which seemed unable to stop the fast moving players on the MHS team.

However, some tactical changes were made and the half court man-to-man pressure allowed the final to look competitive as the Linden Foundation climbed back into contention to trail 20-23 on a 13-2 run early in the final half.

However, with just 15 seconds to game MHS could have increased their two point advantage in the game, but their top player Kyle Stewart missed two freebies  from the stripe after he was flagrantly fouled attempting a lay-up.

But MHS eventually triumphed 32-30 behind Stewart’s 12 point top score for the winners as Felix Braithwate and Jafar Gibbons had nine and six respectively.

Paul Kellman was the main striker for the Linden Foundation side with a game high 15 points as Monzo Ibrahim with seven and Scofi Obermuller contributed six.

In the third place play-off game Christiabnburg /Wisnmar Secondary defeated Wisburg Annexe Secondary 45-18 after a 25-13 half time score. Theron Welch with 15, Kofia Tappin 14 and Mario Batson 11 were the players from the winning team in double figures. Akeem Powers netted six and Michael Peters four for the Annexe school.

The Ministry of Education Region 10 (Upper Demerara/ Upper Berbice) Allied Arts Department Head Ms. Wanda Richmond congratulated the champions and the three other  schools who made it to the final four, saying they were all winners.

She applauded the Victory Valley Royals basketball club for their initiative and contribution to the development of the game. She alluded to the fact that the tournament was a hold over of last year’s 2009 championship, having started in November, and reminded that the 2010 tournament is set for September this year.

Ms Richmond also informed the schools that as some players will be moving up, they can concentrate to the staging of the annual Vicotry Valley Royals Inter Schools championship also in first quarter of this year.

The schools were each handed trophies while additionally, medals were given to the winning MHS side and the MVP trophy received by Kyle Stewart of MHS.

MHS were the inaugural winners of the tournament in 2008. As promised in 2007, president of the Victory Valley Royals Basketball Club, Dereck Alphonso, informed at the launching of the 2008 Inter Secondary Schools championship that he was able to secure sponsorship for an Under 15 championship.

This was through United States-based Linden Alphonso who is the founder of the Victory Valley Royals Basketball club to secure sponsor for an Under 15 level tournament so as to provide a nursery to the bigger tournament among Secondary Schools in the town, to ensure it gets the necessary injection of new players in years to come.