Police hold off furious Spartans chase to grab fourth EBL win

Police (4-2) consolidated third spot on the Electrical Industries Group (EIG) Elite Basketball League standings at the Maloney Indoor Complex on Wednesday night, when they held off a second-half surge by Spartans TT (2-4) to get an 84-79 victory in round-two action.

Through the first two quarters, the lawmen appeared to be cruising as they opened up a healthy 17-point cushion to take a commanding 46-29 lead to the halftime break. Inserted into the Police starting lineup after being at the heart of EBL trade talks for a couple of days, Naython Lewis (eight points) got the ball rolling in the first quarter with a pair of threes, while Police's ace shooter Sadiki Guerra (20 points, 4/8 3PM) also got off to a quick start.

In the third quarter, though, the young Spartans team utilised their renowned full court press to perfection to force countless turnovers, while limiting the Ronnell Winter-coached Police squad to just eight points in the period. Heading into the final quarter, Police saw their lead trimmed drastically to just three points as they held a slim 54-51 advantage.

The fourth quarter was a thing of beauty, as Police shook off their third-quarter slump, while the Spartans remained relentless in their quest to avenge an 84-71 loss to the TTPS on September 5. With 4:14 left in the ball game, the teams were squared at 67-67 after a Zachary Julien steal led to an uncontested lay-up for fellow Spartans guard Idriis Martin (nine points). In the final three minutes, Police's defence proved critical, as they guarded the rim like their lives depended on it, with big man Samuel Waldron getting a pair of timely stops. Meanwhile, the Spartans showed their inexperience by putting the lawmen on the line by committing needless fouls away from the basket.

With 43.4 seconds left in the fourth, Guerra gave Police an eight-point lead (79-71) with a corner three after Waldron forced Theron Evelyn (11 points, eight rebounds, two steals) to commit a turnover in the Spartans backcourt. With Spartans' leading scorer William Francis (22 points, ten rebounds, three steals) and Freedom Leon (18 points, five rebounds, three steals) both draining three-pointers to cut Police's lead to 82-79 with 4.4 seconds left in the ball game, Fabrice Fisher (14 points, four assists, 13 rebounds) was ice-cold at the line as he hit a pair of free throws to seal victory for Winter's team. In total, Fisher made ten of 12 free throws, which proved vital in the end as Police held on for their second straight win over the Spartans.

Also among the points for Police was their EBL leading scorer, Mikahail Williams, who scored 14 points and grabbed a game-high five steals. Centre Jesse Hamilton also made his presence felt as he had nine points, to go along with three assists and three blocks.

The lawmen can ill-afford to rest on their laurels as they will next face the league-leading Caledonia Clippers (5-1) from 9 pm as part of a double-header at the Southern Regional Indoor Sport Arena in Pleasantville on Friday. In the first game of the Pleasantville double-header from 7.30 pm, Southside Elite (5-1) will aim to get back to winning ways when they face NCA Warriors (2-4). For the Spartans, their next assignment will be an October 4 meeting with the cellar-placed Morvant Oilbirds (0-6) at the Eastern Regional Indoor Sport Arena in Tacarigua.