By Joe Chapman

BLOCK 22 Flames deservedly won their first basketball championship with a determined all-round performance to overcome Victory Valley Royals 64-55, in the final of the Kevin ‘2feet’ Joseph/ Team 13 Under 23 basketball championship.
The flames were led by their lanky forward Lerone Joseph, later named the Most Valuable Player of last Saturday night’s final at the Amelia’s Ward Hard Court in Linden.
The win was the first for the Flames club which was formed in 2008 and the resilience they showed augurs well for their immediate future.

The Royals with a pressing first quarter stanza were ahead, 12-9, with 3:33 left, but the Flames would not be shut out of contention and rallied to lead that period 15-13, when the whistle went.
In the second quarter, Jumane Reynolds, Lerone Joseph and Jafon Reynolds ensured the Flames recovered, after Royals staged a great comeback with an 11-2 run to lead 24-17; to rebound and lead 30-24, being unanswered 13-0, with 3:03 left in this second quarter.
But Royals, in a never say die response were able to pull things even and end the first half on level terms 30-30.

The battle was truly on as the scores were knotted at 32, 34, 36 and 38, before the Flames wrestled their way to a 42-38 advantage.
The brilliant offensive shooting of captain Jonathan Clarke and forceful inside moves of Lerone Joseph would see the Flames surge to 64-55 victory eventually.
For the winning Flames side, Joseph top scored with 27 points, Clarke netted 19 and Jumane Reynolds, named the tournament’s Most Improved Player got 10 points.
Best shoots for Royals were Kobe Tappin 14 points and Ronald Hinds 10.

Larry Simon, handed over the Team 13 winners’ trophy to Flames captain Jonathan Clarke after the game.
Joseph, the MVP received the Region 10 Tourism Committee Trophy, US$100 from Bolo’s variety Store and a pair of sneakers.
In the third-place playoff Retrieve Raiders defeated home team Amelia’s Ward Jets, 67-56, in front of a fair-sized crowd.

The sponsors of this tournament included Team 13 Engineering and Environmental Consultancy Group Inc, Bolo’s Variety Store, Kingsley Johnson, Brotherhood Hotel, Dwayne ‘Brown Sugar’ Roberts, Region10 Tourism Committee- RTTC and the KidRock Basketball Foundation.