The Berkeley Institute beat previously unbeaten league champions Warwick Academy 34-28 to win the Varsity boys school basketball final on Thursday night.

Despite Warwick having the advantage of playing on their home court, it was Berkeley who scored the first basket of the game and they were never headed thereafter, with Warwick spurning glorious opportunities to score time and again.

Berkeley’s pace after turning over the ball was often their route to points with Troy Washington Jr and Ajani Carey catching the eye with fancy footwork, while the biggest player on the court Anson Robinson scored two three-pointers and produced a couple of huge blocks on the defensive end.

Berkeley MVP Micah Oliveira played through pain for much of the match after injuring his right ankle during a challenge with Quinton Husband, the Warwick MVP, in the first half.

“I jumped with Quinton for the ball and I landed on his ankle, where one of my soles is,” Oliveira said.

“It was painful and I’ve got three wraps on my ankle right now but I am proud of this team. We stay humble, our coach has taught us that, but it feels good to beat them as they tried their hardest but we came out victorious.”

Troy Washington Sr, a teacher at CedarBridge Academy, is coach of the Berkeley team and was the most animated coach on the sidelines during finals night, but he ended his evening full of pride in his players.

“My son came to me and told me they needed a coach,” he said.

“My son and all his friends on the team wanted to win, so I stepped up and I did this for him. We put everything into this. We planned, we prepped and we made sacrifices that I know other teams didn’t make to get this chemistry together and win a tough game.

“We had some warriors out there and three guys got injured so I became their medic and coach at the same time. They represented and when I wasn't looking at the game, they still did what they had to. I was very proud because it shows that hard work really does pay off.”

In the senior girls final, Warwick Academy overcame Saltus Grammar 29-11 largely thanks to an inspired performance by Jaime Cedenio, who scored 13 points and provided a number of assists with some clever passing.

Named MVP, she was delighted to help her team bring home the title.

“I felt like it was weird as we were a little shaky in the beginning, but we really came well together as a team after,” Cedenio said.

“The team spirit is one of the best attributes of this team, it’s amazing. You just want to be there, the enjoyment, the happiness, the smiles, all of it. My dad played for Bermuda's national team, so I’m following in his footsteps.”

In the opening match of the night, Berkeley beat Warwick Academy 22-20 in the junior varsity boys final.