MANCHESTER, Jamaica—Manchester High School’s basketball teams delivered a spectacular performance on Monday, securing decisive advantages in their respective ISSA Rural Area boys’ basketball semi-final series. The defending champions demonstrated their prowess across multiple age divisions at their home court.
In the Under-16 category, Manchester High claimed a convincing 67-48 victory against Knox College, followed by an overwhelming 72-33 triumph over Herbert Morrison Technical. The latter match featured an extraordinary defensive achievement as Manchester High held their opponents scoreless throughout the entire first quarter—marking the first time in Herbert Morrison’s basketball history that any of their teams failed to score in a single quarter.
Standout player Jayquan Palmer dominated the court with an impressive double-double performance, recording 23 points and 25 rebounds. He received substantial support from teammates Dante Matthews (15 points) and Hasim Wright (13 points). For Knox College, Kaden Dunstan contributed 18 points in their losing effort.
In the Under-19 division, Holmwood Technical narrowly defeated Knox College 75-70 after mounting a remarkable second-half comeback. Despite trailing by eight points at halftime (32-40), Holmwood rallied to claim a one-point lead (55-54) by the end of the third quarter before securing their five-point victory.
Melvin Ragoo emerged as the game’s top scorer with 30 points for Holmwood, supported by Ja-dan Reid (18 points) and Romeo Smith (16 points). Knox College’s Marc Anthony-Bennett delivered an outstanding individual performance with 31 points and 10 rebounds, while Tajay Leslie added 29 points.
The semi-final series continue on Tuesday with Herbert Morrison Technical hosting York Castle in the other Under-16 match-up.