Herbert Morrison end ‘perfect’ season with trophy win
MONTEGO BAY, St James — As expected, Herbert Morrison Technical completed a perfect season by beating Mt Alvernia High 50-11 in the final of the ISSA Western Conference Girls’ Open basketball competition at Cornwall College on Friday.
It was Herbert Morrison’s 12th-straight win of the season and third against Mt Alvernia High who had won the title when the competition was last played in 2019.
Both teams will contest the national preliminary rounds set for Manchester High on Tuesday when they will take on the winners and runners-up in the other two conferences — southern and central.
The teams will play in two groups of three teams each and the winners and runners-up will advance to the national play-offs.
In the third-place play-offs on Friday, Holland High beat Irwin High 21-8 as Jemelia Hines scored 19 points and had four rebounds, Tessanne Nesbeth scored the other two points, while Brianna Edwards had 19 rebounds.
Breana Hawthorne scored five points for Irwin High and Sinque Ibar scored two.
In the final, Herbert Morrison — led by MVP Dandreika Whittingham who scored 18 points and had seven steals, three steals and three assists — smothered Mt Alvernia from the start as they led 18-3 at the end of the first quarter.
Herbert Morrison led 25-7 at half-time and then outscored Mt Alvernia High 15-0 in the third quarter to put the game out of reach.
Taveena Clarke scored 12 points and had eight steals, five assists and three rebounds; Nejron Stephenson scored seven points and had 16 rebounds; Bianca Maxwell scored six points, nine blocks, eight rebounds and four assists.
Moya Ricketts scored six points for Mt Alvernia High and Jayla-Shaw Wright scored three points and six steals.