Tournament MVP, Jose Alvarado, poured in a game high 19 points to lead Ponce Vocational High School of Puerto Rico to a 54-50 victory over host, St. Croix Central High Caribs, winning the Caribs’ 2012 Annual Invitational Basketball Tournament in overtime Sunday, at the Ronald Charles Gymnasium. The Caribs, urged on by a rambunctious hometown crowd, gave it their all but had too many turnovers in the overtime period.
The teams played evenly throughout the first two quarters, and were deadlocked at 26 at halftime. Shomari Francis led the way for the Caribs with 13 first-half points, while Alvarado led a balanced PVHS attack with eight points.
Ponce, led by Alvarado’s seven points, started the third period on a 5-0 run to take a 31-26 lead. The Caribs responded with a 6-0 run of their own to take a one point lead at 32-31. Ponce would then outscore the Caribs 7-5 to end the third ahead by one point at 38-37.
The game was tied on several occasions in the fourth period with neither team giving an inch. It was 46 all with 1:28 left to play when Alvarado put the visitors ahead, 48-46, on a two-point basket. On the Caribs next trip on offense, Randy Huggins was fouled with 28 seconds left and went to the charity stripes with a chance to even the score and possibly send the game into overtime. Huggins did not disappoint, sinking both free throws.
The Caribs, however, could not hold on to the ball in the extra stanza, as they had several costly turnovers that likely cost them the game. They managed just two points in overtime while Ponce was a little better scoring six points to take the extra period 6-2 for final score of 54-50.
Alvarado led all scorers with a game-high 19 points, while three teammates Hector Martinez, Luis Rodriguez, and Giovanni Morales provided ample support by scoring nine points apiece. For Central it was Shomari Francis leading the way with his team-high 18 points followed by Nayib Gonzalez, who finished with 13.
