Rattlers champs

By RENALDO DORSETT

Tribune Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

The GSSSA basketball senior division produced one title thus far for the CI Gibson Rattlers, while the pennant winners in the senior boys staved off elimination.

Senior Girls

CI Gibson Rattlers - 48

CV Bethel Stingrays - 28

Rattlers win series 2-0

The Rattlers were the second undefeated team to claim a championship title on the night.

Shaquania Daxon filled the statsheet and was one block shy of a triple double with ten points, 19 rebounds and nine blocked shots.

Adalia Tucker led a balanced Rattlers scoring attack with 13 points, Glennia Sands scored 11, while Ester Pierre had eight points and 11 rebounds.

Sands was named the series MVP and Rattlers head coach Kevin Johnson was named the Most Outstanding Coach.

D’Shane Cooper scored a game high 20 for the Stingrays and Branika Alexis added seven.

The Rattlers led 9-2 at the end of the first quarter and the run continued throughout the second. A late three-pointer from Tucker made the score 23-6 at the half.

They took a 20-point lead on a floater from Daxon and Sands gave them their biggest lead of the game with her fastbreak layup, 30-6.

The Stingrays had their best scoring quarter with 13 points in the third but never legitimately threatened in the second half.

The Rattlers concluded the season at 11-0.

Senior Boys

Doris Johnson Mystic Marlins - 65

CI Gibson Rattlers - 54

Series tied 1-1

The Mystic Marlins went on a timely 12-0 run in the fourth quarter run to hold off the surging Rattlers and force game three.

Janus Shepherd led the Mystic Marlins with 19 points and 10 rebounds, Malachi McCoy had 13 points and 12 rebounds while Jaythan Belle scored 12.

Darryo Saunders led the Rattlers with 17 points while Derico Burrows had 13 points and eight rebounds.

The Rattlers entered the fourth quarter trailing by four. After a Mystic Marlins free throw, Saunders’ three pointer made it 43-41. Burrows would score on a reverse layup to tie the game at 43 and Emmanuel Alexander would score off a turnover gave CI Gibson their first lead of the game, 45-43 with 6:17 left to play.

McCoy would tie the game at 45 on the ensuing possession to spark an 8-0 run before the Rattlers would call timeout with 4:10 left to play. The run eventually reached 12 on a Shepherd layup and the Mystic Marlins went ahead for good, 55-45.

The Mystic Marlins opened the game on a 9-0 capped by a Shepherd layup. Saunders’ layup finally got the Rattlers on the scoreboard and ended the nearly five minute drought. Doris Johnson went cold over the last three minutes but still managed to take a 9-5 lead after one.

Tyeko Lowe began the second quarter converting a three point play on the opening possession and the Mystic Marlins went ahead 20-10 when Shepherd found a wide open Matthew Saunders for an uncontested fastbreak layup. Joshua Burrows tacked on a pullup jumper to push the lead to 12.They maintained a double digit lead at the half on a Saunders putback late in the shot clock to take a 27-16 advantage at the break.

Jaythan Belle’s fastbreak layup gave Doris Johnson a 33--20 lead but the Rattlers stayed in contention and responded with an 11-2 run. Derico Burrows’ layup at the buzzer was wiped away, but the Rattlers still managed to trim the lead to four headed in the fourth, 42-38.