'Furley' is top gun slinger; West wins D-I game
By SHELDON LONGLEY,NG Sports Reporter
The combination of Michael 'Furley' Bain and Ernest Saunders proved to be deadly for the Division II West All-Stars Saturday night at the Kendal G.L. Isaacs National Gymnasium.
The two talented players have been going after each other since high school, but playing together for the first time in their careers, they complimented each other wonderfully Saturday night.
Former C.R. Walker star Bain scored 10 of his game high 28 points in the overtime session, and former C.V. Bethel standout Saunders was 4-for-6 from behind the three-point line to help the East pull off the 103-98 victory.
Saunders had his gun stuck on automatic all night long, and finished with 27 points in the New Providence Basketball Association All-Star shoot-out, but it was Bain's fabulous inside and outside game which garnered Most Valuable Player honours for him.
In the night cap, the West prevailed 99-94 in the Division I All-Star game. Hillary Jackson was the MVP of that game with 25 points.
With the Division II Westerners rallying to tie the game at the end of regulation, Bain rose to the occasion in the extra session Saturday night. He sealed the win with an emphatic two-handed jam with 11 seconds left in the game to bring the crowd to their feet. That slam gave the East squad a five-point lead, 103-98, and cemented the win.
"We wanted to control the ball better and utilize the talents that we have," said coach of the East squad Perry Thompson. "The most important thing is that we wanted to come out here and have some fun and put on a good show for the fans. We also wanted to make sure that everyone got an opportunity to play in the ball game and we also wanted to win."
Saunders wasn't the only player from the East squad who had tremendous success from downtown. His Sunshine Auto Ruff Ryders' teammate, Dario Seymour, connected on two treys and finished with 22 points in total, and Bain's Grant Town Tavern Giants' teammate, Terrance 'Barkley' Elliott, had three treys and finished with 14. Elliott also played with Bain at C.R. Walker while Seymour played with Saunders at C.V. Bethel. Coincidentally, those two schools are currently in a battle for the government schools senior boys championship which will conclude this week. Barrington Carter from Coke, added 11 points for the East Saturday night.
The West were led by The Real Deal Shockers combo of Anwar and Tony Ferguson. Anwar led them with 24 points and Tony struck for 15. Jamal Rolle had 14, Jemmington Johnson and Vadis Morrison scored 10 apiece, Billy Sands dropped in nine and Vernon Stubbs and Elkin Sherman contributed seven apiece.
"All we wanted to do was stop them from fast-breaking because they were much smaller than us. We couldn't stop them because they were too quick," said the coach of the West squad Wayde Watson. "It was sort of difficult coaching them because there were a lot of guys from different teams and they have different philosophies about basketball. We tried to combine their skills as best as possible but we just came up short tonight. We weren't able to come together as a unite in this short period of time and we weren't sure of who was capable of doing what."
Saunders had the hot hand early with 13 of his 27 points in the opening quarter. That staked the East to a 29-19 lead after one. The West battled back to pull within 45-43 at the half, and even at 69 at the end of three quarters. The game went back and forth in the fourth quarter before the West finally pulled even to force overtime. That is when Bain took over and led the East to the win.
"It was difficult for both teams to play defence," said East coach Thompson, who also coaches Bain and Elliott with the Giants in the NPBA. "There were a lot of stars out there and the level of play was very keen. That's what everyone wanted to see and we are thankful that we were able to get the win as well."
The Coaches vs. Media game was cancelled as a result of the Media's inability to field a full squad.
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