Kwakwani Secondary dominate National Basketball Championships

Kwakwani Secondary managed to dominate the National Schools Basketball Festival (NSBF) to secure both the Girls and Boys U-18 championships against President’s College at the National Gymnasium on June 16, 2023.
Kwakwani Secondary Girls secured their fifth Girls’ title, starting off the final game with a flow to lead the game before the first timeout with a score of 10-0 against President’s College.
President’s College managed to minimise Kwakwani’s lead before the end of the first period with a score of 14-8.

President’s College continued to show their class in the second period to further decrease Kwakwani’s lead to four points with the scoreboard reading 19-15.
The girls from Kwakwani did not let the pressure get to them and dominated the game in the penultimate period 29-22.
Kwakwani went on to secure the win in the fourth period with spectacular buckets, winning the game 37-31.
Kwakwani Secondary’s Sherel Leacock penetrated the opponents’ defence to score 14 points with 9 rebounds and 6 steals followed by Deandra Hodge with 13 points and 4 rebounds and Malia Samuels with 6 points, 4 assists, 8 rebounds, and 9 steals.
President’s College’s Akeelah Campbell amused the crowd with 13 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 steals along with Krizel Wells with 7 points and 4 rebounds and Chrisleyann Richards with 5 points and 4 steals, but they were not enough to carry their team over the line.

Kwakwani Girls carried home numerous awards, with Malia Samuels copping the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award for the Girls and Leshana Mohamed (KK) getting the Best Scorer title. Samuels (KK) added to her tally of awards, conquering Best Defence title followed by Sherel Leacock(KK) attaining the Most Assists award.
Kwakwani Secondary Boys continued their form in the tournament to lead the first quarter of the final with a score of 20-15.
Despite missing major buckets, Kwakwani kept their composure to extend their lead in the second quarter 37-29.
Kwakwani went on to show President’s College the reason they advanced to the final showcasing their fantastic ball-handling skills to lead the game 51-37 in the penultimate round of the game. They then secured their seventh trophy against President’s College in the fourth quarter to win the game 71-69.
Kwakwani Boys showcased their dribbling and ball-handling skills, with Kelon Phillips scoring 32 points and 5 rebounds and Kasim English, 27 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 steals.
President’s College made history with the first triple-double in NSBF finals, with Ezekiel Saul not missing out on the scoresheet scoring 16 points, 14 rebounds, and 10 steals followed by the phenomenal Alwin DeFreitas with 14 points and 15 rebounds, and Judah Ferreira contributing 19 points.
Kwakwani ‘s Kasim English went on to win the MVP award, with his teammate Kelon Phillips attaining the best scorer title. Alfin Joseph of St Stanislaus’s College attained the best defence award and Linden Technical Institute’s Jamol Semple secured the most assists of the tournament.