Wesley College wins male championships
Tonight News 5 is pleased to bring you a Thursday serving of sports. Why the special report? Because last night was the Male Secondary School Central Division Championships, which pitted St. John’s College against Wesley College. It was a head to head almost the whole way through, so sit back and enjoy the action with your sports caster, James Adderley.
James Adderley, Reporting
The lure of game two of the Central Division Secondary School Basketball finals was certainly irresistible. Two bright young stars, Bernard Felix of Wesley College and Lennox Bowman of St. John’s College, were living in money time. For S.J.C., a loss tonight kills their championship from in 2003.
Meet Bernard Felix, fresh off a thirty-point performance in game one-he’s grabbing the loose ball and going all the way to open the scoreboard.
Meet Lennox Bowman, fresh off a twenty-nine point performance in game one-he comes up with the steal, but can’t finish this one. It would typify his night on the big stage.
Tonight for S.J.C. it seems to be Alton Anderson’s turn to shoulder the responsibility, and he responds positively. S.J.C. jumps to a six-point lead when Shane Rosales finds Michael Staine unattended down court and the two is automatic.
On the possession, Wesley College goes to Mr. Felix and he shows no fear, no mercy. Tonight Felix has help, so Ryan Burns deals to Ludrick Beeks and the straight shooter shows real range and he does get a rise from the Wesley College fans.
Man Ludrick, this is just ludicrous, as Mike Tyson would say–and this big man strikes for another three. At the half Wesley College is up by one.
Meanwhile, we caught up with principal Brenda Armstrong of Wesley College and she expressed a desire to win both Central Division titles.
Brenda Armstrong, Principal, Wesley College
“Well we are a coeducational school and so we want both girls and boys to shine, we don’t want one to go with the other. We’re happy about the girls, but we would be even happier if we could repeat what we did in 1994 and take two teams to the nationals.”
She also gave us insight into Bernard Felix.
Brenda Armstrong
“Wesley College provides for Bernard two things. First of all, a place he can call home because there is a little bit of a vacancy where that is concerned. Home for him is being in class, being with his friends, being with those who look after him. But then again, we also provide for him the opportunity to shine. He loves basketball and he gets to play that sport through being at school.”
Of course it would be unfair not to give the Wesley dancing girls their props… but it’s back to the show, in second half Wesley comes out firing from long range through the services of Gareth Carter. Even before S.J.C. can muster a reply, Ludrick Beeks breaks out with another long-range bomb to give Wesley a seven-point lead.
Down by eleven, S.J.C. gets busy–Alton Anderson beats everybody down court and gets the two. It’s more Anderson on this breakaway two–he would lead S.J.C. with eleven points. And when he streaks in for this push off the glass S.J.C. finds themselves down by only two points with eight minutes eight seconds to go and would tie the score with the very next possession.
This forces Felix to reassert himself into the ballgame, going glass to break the tie. He would finish with fifteen points. On the very next possession Felix penetrates, deals to Travis Lennan who lays it in.
From the corner, Ryan Burns makes it a six-point lead–Wesley College would never look back. But the man to lead all scorers is Ludrick Beeks, who strikes for sixteen points as Wesley College goes on to post the 52-44 big W. Wesley College in Central Division male and female champions. Certainly, that’s big time news to Bernard Felix.
Q: “How does it feel to be the champion for 2003 for Wesley College?”
Bernard Felix, Wesley College
“Very good and exciting. First time, I noh know weh fi seh, I’m stunned.”
Q: How do you take on the leadership role, knowing that without you scoring your team would probably be helpless?
Bernard Felix
“Well, I have to give that to my coach and mi manager. They dah the man weh encourage me fi do that. I dah always mi want may team do something and depend pan me. But they done tell me, without me they couldn’t do this, so I have to do my best fi try.”
Ludrick Beeks, Wesley College
“That dah every night, dah noh only tonight. Because usually my job dah fi mek sure out yah open so that I could tek the three. So fi every two they score and we score three, we guarantee we wah win.”
Q: What does Wesley College as a team go through preparing for a game like tonight whereby if you lose you gotta face a game three, or if you win the season is all over?
Ludrick Beeks
“We noh usually go in with the mentality that we wah lose, because we dah always number one. We dah number one, so my coach always tell we every game dah the most important game, noh the last game or the first game, all, the whole season, every game dah the most important game.”
Lennox Bowman, St. John’s College
“Basically, they play a good game. I can’t vex with them with nothing; they play a good game. Bernard, I can’t seh nothing bad bout Bernard cause dah man just good.”
Hey guys, let’s do it again next year and congratulations to all and sundry from Channel 5. This is James Adderley Reporting.
