Grey creates perfect Storm

(CNS): Quik Cash Storm captured the Cayman Islands Basketball Association (CIBA) National Women’s League trophy by defeating Dominos Lady Heels 58-48 last Sunday night at the court off Eastern Avenue. Storm took the trophy with an unblemished record of remaining undefeated for the entire season, a feat accomplished by Wolverine in 2004 and not duplicated since. According to a CIBA release, Storm had a rough start, as Lady Heels dominated the first quarter, but Storm equalised the score, first as Bobeth O’Garro made her free throws count, then Merta Day took the score to 13-11 with a running layup. Photo: Lavern Davis (blue) and Benieca Thompson (orange)

While Day continued to show her scoring prowess, it was O’Garro and Sofia Foster that kept her well fed with opportunities. In fact, O’Garro made 10 steals and Foster garnered 10 rebounds throughout the game. However, Lady Heels caught a lucky break when Day picked up a third personal foul, which forced Coach Errol Grey to bench his top scorer. This gave Storm’s other top scorer, Lavern Ebanks, the chance to step up, which she did. Lady Heels gave Storm a tempestuous time, especially with Bencia Thompson who nabbed a number of crucial rebounds.

Nevertheless, Storm retained their offensive edge 25-21 going into second half. But in the third quarter Storm went 43-29 up to blow away their opponents. In the fourth, Lady Heels stepped up their game, but it was not enough to catch the perfect Storm.

Quik Cash Storm’s top earner was Merta Day with 22 points. She was followed by Lavern Ebanks with 15. O’Garro earned 10 steals, Foster nabbed 14 rebounds and Lashawn Davis recorded 6 assists. Top scorers for Dominos Lady Heels were Benieca Thompson with 19 points and 16 rebounds. Dionne Anglin also recorded 15 points and 20 rebounds.(Right: the winning team)

Coach of Lady Heels, Collin Anglin explained his team’s performance. “We broke down defensively in the third quarter. We switched to a ‘man-to-man’ defense in an effort to distort our opponents but it backfired on us. When we re-grouped and returned to our original defense – triangle and two – we outscored them in the fourth quarter. The game was close except for that third quarter. Offensively, we simply turned the ball over too much. We worked hard on defense and when we finally got the ball we threw it back to them, forcing us to play another hard defensive possession. We usually needed our offensive sets to rest, but when you’re playing defense so much you get fatigued quite quickly. The Storm out-hustled us. They won the majority of the loose balls which gave them a lot of second and third chance opportunities,” he added.

Quik Cash Storm’s coach Errol Grey, who also earned the “coach of the year” title, praised his team. “My team fought hard and truly deserved the championship. We have a perfect blend of experience and determination which played a major role in us earning the trophy,” he said.