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ISSA rural basketball set for thrilling finish
March 19, 2026
After weeks of weather disruptions, the stage is finally set for a thrilling finish to the ISSA rural basketball championships, as the Under-16 and Under-19 finals take place today at G.C. Foster College in St Catherine.
In the Under-16 decider, Herbert Morrison Technical High School (HMTHS) face defending champions Manchester High in a high-stakes, winner-take-all clash at 1 p.m. with the series tied 1-1.
For the Under-19s, Christiana-based Holmwood Technical High are coming today motivated to rebound in a must-win situation against a confident Manchester High squad, who currently lead the series 1-0 and are on the verge of securing the championship.
Damon Sullivan, coach of Manchester told STAR Sports that despite the challenges, team morale remains high, with players eager to conclude the extended training period.
"The mood in the camp is good but the only issue right now is that we struggled to get time to train because of the weather. Apart from that, the boys are in good spirits, kind of anxious to get this over with, it being kind of drawn out over the course of three weeks to a month," said Sullivan.
"With the mentality of the boys, it's just to keep them positive. Things should be okay for today playing inside because the weather won't hamper the games," added Sullivan.
Manchester edged Herbert Morrison 56-45 at home to make the series interesting.
Levar Rose, coach of HMTHS emphasised the importance of the "win or go home" context of the contest, suggesting that true dedication and performance are only evident on game day.
"You will not understand that mentality until the game day, until you see how they execute and how hard they play. They will have to leave it all on the court and I can only hope everything I say resonates with them, and they're locked in," said Rose.
The Under-19 final was postponed twice due to inclement weather. Now, with the title on the line, Manchester's Under-19s will look to wrap up their series in what promises to be a energetic encounter. In Game 1, Manchester cruised by Holmwood 102-61 to push them on the verge of elimination.
