Virgin Gorda Mystics' Devon Watts, attempts to snatch the ball from the East Rockers' Cardinal 'Wolf' Fahie

 East Rockers, Mystics fighting to meet All Ah We

BY DEAN GREENAWAY

The Big Ballers league match up everyone talked about between the East Rockers and the Virgin Gorda Mystics, has lived up to the hype. The two combatants will meet at 8:00 p.m. on Saturday at the Multipurpose Sports Complex in a deciding game five, with the winner advancing to meet All Ah We in the championship series, after they swept the Disciples.

In Friday’s third game, the East Rockers mounted a stirring comeback then lost the game at the free throw line in the last 33.5 seconds of play with the score tied at 64-64, as the Virgin Gorda Mystics sealed a 67-64, victory by converting their free throw chances, to take a 2-1 lead into Sunday.

Trailing 28-12 at the start of the second quarter, the Rockers outscored the Mystics 23-11 to pull within 39-35, at the half, when the Mystics committed 12 of the 19 turnovers in the quarter. The Rockers took their first lead of the second half, 56-54, with 7 minutes and 14 seconds to play, on a lay up by center Dwayne ‘Kobo’ Penn. The see saw battle continued with the final tie coming at 64-64. Rockers’ Melvin ‘Jah Mouth’ Christopher was sent to the line with 33.5 seconds left, but missed both free throws.

Mystics’ Trevor ‘West’ Stevens was fouled on the ensuing play and gave his team a 66-64 lead with 24.9 on the clock. The Rockers had another free throw opportunity but Cardinal ‘Wolf’ Fahie missed both. Stevens was fouled once more with 7.7 seconds left then converted one of two free throws to seal the 67-64, win. Stevens finished with 19 points and five rebounds. Gary Hillhouse added 17 points to go with 12 rebounds and four steals. Devon Watts added another 10 points. David ‘Bolo’ Lettsome had 23 points, eight rebounds and six steals to lead the Rockers. Claude Richardson poured in 12 points and grabbed 12 rebounds.

Facing a must win situation on Sunday, the East Rockers began playing a mirror image of game three. The Rockers trailed 26-12 at the end of the first quarter, and were down 36-18, before Penn and Lettsome combined to score 19 of their 21 second quarter points to pull within 41-33 at halftime. The Rockers tied the score six times, before finally grabbing their first lead 80-78, after scoring the opening bucket. Fahie, who finished with 13 points and 13 boards, made two free throws with 25.4 seconds left in regulation, after the Mystics’ Devon Watts (20 points) received a technical foul for hanging on the rim when they tied the score at 78-78. Stevens made a lay up with 0.7 seconds left to send the game into over time tied at 80-80.

Hillhouse scored the Mystics’ first five points in overtime to finish with 25, for an 85-80 lead, before fouling out. Penn scored in the paint on successive lay ups after offensive rebounds to bring the Rockers back before he too fouled out with 1:04 left, after scoring 20 points and pulling 11 rebounds.

Lettsome, who had 34 points, nine rebounds, six assists and four steals, tied the game at 87-87, on free throws, before Shaun Newton who came off the bench after Penn fouled out in over time, then converted two of three free throws with 12.1 seconds left after he too was fouled, to help the Rockers beat the Virgin Gorda Mystics 89-87, to even the series at 2-2.

“We don’t quit. We came down here to win this game tonight, to tie this series and to win this playoff,” East Rockers coach Louis ‘Doc’ Frett said. “You could see that we didn’t come to quit tonight. We came to tie it tonight and the next game is ours.”

Frett said his team didn’t quit on defense after overcoming an 18-point second quarter deficit. “That’s where we brought our game back. The offense is always there, but the defense was playing now and again, but tonight we fought with our defense all the way through,” he explained.

Mystics’ coach Arnold ‘Shockers’ Collins said his team threw away the game in the closing seconds. “Fifteen seconds on the clock, we up by one, inbounds, all we had to do is hold it then it would come to us instead of putting it on the floor,” he pointed out. “But, the Rockers play hard overall.”

To win on Saturday, Collins said they must control the Rockers on the boards. “That’s where they are really dominating us,” he noted, despite his team’s ability to build double digit leads. “We are losing our patience. If we concentrate and be more patient, it will be an easier game.”

Frett said the Rockers have to play 40 minutes of defense against the Mystics because they have a good squad. “They have 10 good men so we can’t relax,” he said. “If we don’t play 40 minutes of defense, we can’t win.”

In the other series, All Ah We beat the Disciples 68-63, to complete a sweep of their best of five A division championship series. Coach Morris Wattley said he did not anticipate his team sweeping the Disciples. “I expected it might have been a 3-1, or maybe a 3-2, but not a 3-0,” Wattley said. “This victory gives me a chance to sit down and do a little more scouting and to give my guys a chance to get a little more rest.”

Wattley said the key to winning the series was his guard play on offence and the rest of his team trying to stop the Disciples combo of Jason Taylor and Winston Farrington. “Those two guys are dangerous,” he noted. “Farrington wasn’t here tonight, but, my plan was always to stop those two guys and we did our job in three games.”

Nathaniel Malone and Chaurbin Smith lead All Ah We with 14 points respectively. Malone also had six assists, six steals and grabbed five rebounds. Smith contributed six steals, five rebounds and four assists. Edred Stout added 10 points while Kleon Penn played a key role in the middle with 10 rebounds, seven blocks and tossing in six points.

Taylor scored 18 of his game high 30 points in the fourth quarter for the Disciples, to go with seven rebounds and four assists. Ronford Todman finished with a 12 point 13 rebound double double. Clifton Corum poured in another 10 points and grabbed seven rebounds.

Taylor had no explanation for the Disciples’ meltdown. “We came out with a game plan and tried to execute it, but it just wasn’t enough,” Taylor explained. “Most of the time I was double teamed and it eliminated couple of my options. I tried finding the open man, but the open man didn’t convert and that was really one of the reasons they stayed in front.”

Meanwhile, league founder and president Rhodni Skelton has sought assistance from the Royal Virgin Islands Police Force, to keep former All Ah We player Frederick “Freddy” Penn, player from entering future games at the Multipurpose Sports Complex, after he exposed himself during Sunday’s East Rockers vs Virgin Gorda Mystics contest.

Skelton said that at approximately 11:05 p.m. during a break in the game while he was in the vicinity of the bar area, he noticed a crowd of people rushing simultaneously to the entrance doors towards the court. He immediately ran to see what the commotion was about. Once inside the court area, Skelton said he looked down the court to see Frederick “Freddy” Penn with his shirt off and in the process of pulling his pants up as many people laughed and jeered.

Skelton said he was stopped by several angry people who called for the banning of Penn from the complex for exposing himself. “I asked them what had happened and they replied that Freddy had removed his clothes and exposed himself to the crowd,” Skelton said. “I immediately went to Freddy and told him he had to leave the building. He did so very reluctantly by taking his time, walking deliberately slow then stopping to speak to persons that he passed on his way out. While he was taking his time, I called the Police Department for assistance. He eventually left the building, prior to the police’s arrival, but stayed outside ranting and raving and cursing at me.”

Skelton said he has advised his security personnel that under no circumstance, was Penn to be allowed into the complex that night or any other night during BVI Big Ballers games.

It wasn’t the first time that Penn, who played with All Ah We in the current league before quitting the team, has streaked. He did it during other games before the construction of the Multipurpose Complex. Skelton said he was extremely disappointed with Penn, as a former player. “There were many small children, some elderly people and families attending the game and witnessed what had happened,” Skelton noted. “This type of lewd, offensive and disrespectful behavior, in public, should not and can not be tolerated. I have written a Police report about the incident and they will then investigate and do what they deem necessary.”