MANCHESTER, Jamaica — Manchester High can secure their places in both finals of the ISSA Rural Area Basketball Competition and Herbert Morrison Technical will seek to wrap up their place in the Under 19 section when the second games of the best of three semi-finals are played Wednesday.

Today, Manchester High will take one game lead into their best-of-three semi-finals against Belair High in both the Under 16 and Under 19 Game Ones, while Herbert Morrison will face Holland High in the Under 19 section.

Tomorrow, Herbert Morrison will face Cornwall College in the Under 16 Game Two at Cornwall College.

On Monday, Manchester High and Herbert Morrison Technical won both games at home and will be away in the second games.

If necessary the deciding third games will be played on Friday.

On Monday at Manchester High, the home team won their games over Belair High 56-22 in the Under 16 and a massively lop-sided 75-11 in the Under 19 game.

In Montego Bay, Herbert Morrison Technical were 60-32 winners over Cornwall College and just managed to hold off Holland High 63-61.

Jelani Ricketts had a double-double 26 points and 15 rebounds for the Manchester High Under 16 team, in their victory over Belair High where they led from the start — 17-8 after the first quarter, 29-13 at half time and 46-22 at the end of the third quarter.

Manchester High held Belair High to single digits in all four quarters in the Under 19 game where Nathaniel Reynolds scored a game-high 17 points and Samuel Smith scored 14 points.

Shamar Russell led Herbert Morrison Technical’s Under 16 team with 16 points and 11 rebounds, Michael Johnson scored 14 points and Antonio Kerr scored 10 points. Johnathan Smart scored 15 points for Cornwall College and Chad-Michael Stephens scored 12 points.

Herbert Morrison did not have their way in the Under 19 game, just edging a late-charging Holland High by two points setting up what could be another nail biter at Holland High on Wednesday.

Herbert Morrison who were led by D’Aire Patterson’s 30 points and 11 rebounds, led 13-4 after the first quarter, were up 27-19 at the halftime break and 46-30 going into the final period when Holland High rallied, outscoring them 31-17 before falling short.

Daniel Clarke also scored 16 points for Herbert Morrison Technical and Joshua Ferguson scored 10 points.

Evair Reid-Hines fell short of a triple-double for Holland High, scoring 15 points, had 14 rebounds and eight blocked shots. Khaleel Anderson had 10 points and eight rebounds and Aliston Nelson scored 10 points and had seven rebounds and seven steals.

— Paul Reid