Herbert Morrison dominate first-round action

Herbert Morrison Technical High School’s under-19 team has bulldozed its way through the first round of the ISSA Schoolboy Basketball competition, with head coach Levar Rose expressing the need for increased dedication for players to improve.

Rural Zone B’s Herbert Morrison, on Monday, demolished Ocho Rios High 67-20 at home to keep their unbeaten record intact. The team’s impressive display was led by Ryan Jurdine’s 18 points, two rebounds, two assists, and seven steals, followed by Joshua Ferguson’s 16 points, three rebounds, five assists, and seven steals. Ocho Rios’s Fabian Oliphant scored nine points, three steals, and two rebounds.

“We have the skill sets, so once we get dedication from the team, I think everything else will fall into place,” said Rose.

“They have all the drills and they know each other. Once they are committed, they will be fine.”

With this win, Herbert Morrison are now atop the group with eight points from four wins. York Castle and Ocho Rios are tied on five points.

According to the coach, the team aims to continue winning.

“We have been training in the summer, so that gives us a little edge over teams. Most of the teams we are playing this division are newcomers, so we are not expecting much competition now,” said Rose.

“It was a sweet feeling when we won the all-island championship six or seven years ago. We want to end that drought so we can relive that moment,” added Rose, who is also the under-16 coach.

The final result was never in question after Herbert Morrison took a 17-0 first-quarter lead before extending the lead 20-4 at the half. By the end of the third quarter there was no coming back for Ocho Rios, with Herbert Morrison outscoring them 12-6. The fourth quarter provided more of the same, with the winners outscoring Ocho Rios 18-10.

According to Herbert Morrison’s Aaron Rayson, while the win was pleasing, he still saw the need for improved communication on the court.

“We need to improve on chemistry and speaking on the court, we are bad at that. Once that is dealt with, we should be good this season,” said Rayson.

Meanwhile, Antoneil Brown, coach of Ocho Rios, said his team was in a rebuilding phase, and so a loss was not surprising.

“We have been dormant for about 10 years. We have some players for the last two years who were introduced to the game, so we are slowly putting things together,” said Brown.

He added, “Hopefully, if I have them in sixth form next year, we will have a better bunch to definitely be a better team to contend.”

In under-16 action, York Castle outclassed Holland High 94-38. Omar Campbell scored 31points and had five rebounds for York Castle while his teammate, Marcodean Frater, added 31 of his own to go along with three rebounds, four steals, and four assists. Holland’s Antwan Wint put up 25 points and four rebounds.