It took a dominating second half but Trilogy was up to the challenge as they responded with 37 points to take down the 3 Headed Monsters, 50-45, to win the BIG3 Championship game on Saturday inside the Imperial Arena at Atlantis, Paradise Island.
The game closed out an exciting back-to-back thrilling week of the popular 3-on-3 basketball league at the Atlantis Resort as the event was booked out in its first year in The Bahamas.
Trilogy’s captain, former National Basketball Association (NBA) player Jarrett Jack, who set a new BIG3 record of 35 points the week before, was in tip-top form and shape again as he dropped a game-high 29 points in the championship game. It included 22 of Trilogy’s 37 second-half points. The BIG3 Co-Rookie of the Year also put the dagger in the 3 Headed Monsters when he connected on a three-point shot that sealed the win for Trilogy, taking the Julius “Dr. J” Erving Trophy back to their base in the United States. Jack also had five assists and three steals to go with his three made three-point shots.
“(I) got a little emotional,” Jack said. “To be honest, man, this was crazy. This was my first time hitting a game-winner in front of my son. I’m happy for him to be a part of it. Our coach stuck with us through and through every week. We had a hell of a group man. I just want to shout out these guys, my teammates.”
The title was Trilogy’s second since the league began in 2017. They won the BIG3 championship that year and now they won the first BIG3 title that was contested in The Bahamas. In addition, they are also the only team to win two championships in the BIG3.
“I’m the first coach to play and coach in the BIG3 championship, and I’m glad I was able to win one,” Trilogy Head Coach Stephen Jackson said. “Shout out to my team. I got a great group of guys, great group of professionals. Shout out to Gary Payton and the 3 Headed Monsters. They’ve got a great team. I knew when I did the draft, I wanted some professionals. I wanted some guys who wanted to play the game and loved the game, and that showed tonight.”
It was a rocky start for the eventual champions as the 3 Headed Monsters did whatever they wanted to in the first half. The 3 Headed Monsters’ Kevin Murphy who is also Co-Rookie of the Year, sent the game into the half with two three-pointers. His team led 27-13 at the half and it looked like they were well on their way to winning the championship.
After the 3 Headed Monsters went up 31-17 in the second half, Jack and Trilogy came alive. They went on an 18-2 run on some strong plays by Jack and BIG3 Fourth Man of the Year Isaiah Briscoe. Jack scored on a floater to put his team up 35-33. Trilogy played tough defense and forced some turnovers during that stretch.
After that, the game went back and forth with several ties and lead changes as both teams competed for the title. During this stretch, the game got very cheeky. There were some very tough physical plays from both sides.
After the game was tied on 43, there was a challenge on a foul that initiated the “Bring the Fire” feature of the BIG3. That feature is activated in this instance when a challenge for a foul results in an in-game one-on-one possession. Jack possessed the ball and went up against Murphy.
Jack drove to the hoop, pivoted and baited Murphy who went up for the block. After successfully faking out Murphy, Jack easily scored a layup as Murphy was unable to come back into the play. That layup gave Trilogy a 45-43 lead.
After going up 47-45, it was clear that Trilogy was looking to win it with a three-pointer. Jack missed a three-point shot on the right side of the arc and the 3 Headed Monsters controlled possession. They came up empty and Trilogy took over from there. James White made an inside pass to Amir Johnson who quickly passed it out to a wide-open Jack on the left side of the arc. He quickly faked a defender then side-stepped to the left and hit the three-pointer to win the game and the title.
That trey capped a 37-19 second half surge by Trilogy. The 3 Headed Monsters looked a little winded as expected. They only played three players all game.
Johnson was huge for Trilogy as he finished with 10 points and 11 boards. Reggie Evans did a lot for the 3 Headed Monsters as he finished with 20 points and 15 rebounds. Lewis scored 13 points and grabbed eight rebounds.
Jack heads back to the NBA where he will begin his new job as an assistant coach for Monty Williams of the Phoenix Suns.
In the consolation game, Tri-State won 50-31 over the Triplets.
Atlantis will host the NBA Houston Rockets this week as they look to revive sports tourism after the COVID-19 pandemic halted it last year.
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source https://thenassauguardian.com/big3-ends-season-in-the-bahamas/
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