Kwesi Mugisa, Staff Reporter

Wolmer's Christopher Vassell (right) attempts to make a shot over the outstretched arms of Jamaica College's Eugene Dixon in ISSA/KFC Southern Conference schoolboy basketball action at the National Stadium courts on Tuesday. Wolmer's won 56-47. - Anthony Minott/Freelance Photographer

DEFENDING CHAMPIONS St. Catherine will hunt their second consecutive win in the second round of the ISSA/KFC Southern Conference Basketball League when they take on St. George's at 3:30 p.m. today at the National Stadium courts.

At the same time, Kingston College will look to rebound from their loss to St. Catherine in the first game of the second round when they take on Meadowbrook.

Meadowbrook earlier clipped St. George's to get their second-round campaign off to a fast start. Following successive defeats towards the end of the first round, the title holders, led by last year's MVP Javaughn Bailey, now seem to have righted the ship and have won their past two games by a very impressive margin.

Stern test

However, they could be sternly tested today when they encounter a St. George's team which dropped its opening game and desperately needs a win to boost its chances of booking one of the two semi-final spots from Zone One.

In Tuesday's action which saw the teams in Zone Two take to the court for their opening round games, St. Jago came from behind to clip Tivoli Gardens 60-57 while Wolmer's emerged victorious in a similar fashion when they eventually got over an early deficit to see off Jamaica College 56-47.

Game-high 20 points

Raphel Thomas scored a game-high 20 points and dished out seven assists for Tivoli Gardens but this did not prevent the team from surrendering an eight-point lead with three minutes left to go in the final quarter. Kimou Anderson top scored for St. Jago with 19 points and also had seven rebounds while Deron Dale had 12 points and seven steals.

After a quick start, Jamaica College clung desperately to an eight-point lead at the beginning of the fourth quarter, but a furious fourth-quarter surge by the Wolmerians, last season's beaten finalists, soon saw the scores level three minutes into the final stanza.

With Jamaica College unable to put away easy scoring opportunities, including numerous trips to the free throw line, Wolmer's, led by Kavan Allen's 20 points, constantly scored on the break to eventually put the game away. Keinan Tate-Caesar had 16 points and eight rebounds while Eugene Dixon had 13 points and nine rebounds in a losing effort.