By JONATHAN BURROWS

Tribune Sports Reporter

jburrows@tribunemedia.net

THE Bahamas Government Departmental Basketball Association (BGDBA) second-round playoffs continued on Saturday at the A.F. Adderley Gymnasium with two tightly contested matchups.

In the first game, the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture Panthers avoided elimination with a dramatic comeback win over the Nassau Flight Services Ballers. 

The Panthers rallied late in the fourth quarter to secure a 75-73 win, cutting the Ballers’ series lead to 2-1 in the best-of-five series. Brandon Strachan led the Panthers with 25 points and seven rebounds.  

League MVP frontrunner Abel Joseph, however, struggled for the Ballers. Joseph finished with only 12 points on 5-for-26 shooting. 

The Ballers will now look to regroup as the Panthers fight to extend the series further.

The second game was also a nail-biter as the Police Crime Stoppers beat the Bain and Grants Town Cybots 77-76 to advance to the next round. The deciding play came in the final seconds, when the Crime Stoppers converted a putback off a missed free throw that was supposed to tie the game, sealing the one-point win after the Cybots had climbed back from an 11-point deficit that had given them the lead.

Adam Johnson led the Crime Stoppers with 26 points and 11 rebounds, anchoring his team on both ends of the court. 

Georgio Walkes led the Cybots with 20 points and six rebounds in the loss.

With the Panthers forcing a fourth game in their series and the Crime Stoppers advancing, the BGDBA playoffs continue to build momentum as teams fight for a spot in the finals.