By VINO
Jamaica defeated BVI 61-28 in the Caribbean Basketball Confederation (CBC) Women’s Championship. Photo: Charlie E. Jackson / VINO
The BVI matched Jamaica for almost all of the first half on Wednesday June 10, 2015 before falling to a 61-28 defeat in the Caribbean Basketball Confederation (CBC) Women’s Championship at the Multi-Purpose Sports Complex in Road Town.
The intensity and speed of the game kept the large crowd enthralled from the time Tamara Phillip opened the scoring with a 3-pointer and saw the BVI hold the lead 3 times. Tiffany Jennings also found early scoring touch, but by the buzzer Jamaica were ahead 14-13, after scores from Shennieka Smith, Jennifer George and Loretta Gordon.
It took over two minutes of the second quarter for either team to score and it was Jennings who found the basket to put the BVI back ahead and the same player also splashed another “3” to level the scores at 18’s with 3.37 minutes left in the half.
Gordon and Smith combined again to put Jamaica up by 7 at the break, 25-18 and then, in the third quarter, Jamaica took full advantage of the BVI rotation to race into a 46-19 lead and see out the game with a comfortable 61-28 score line.
The decision to rest his starters was a tough one by Coach Brian ‘Bash’ Brewley but it had been discussed in team meetings the previous night as a way to maximize chances of finishing higher in the overall rankings, as not even a victory against Jamaica would have secured the BVI’s passage into the medal rounds.
Jennings finished as the BVI’s top scorer with 10, adding 7 rebounds, whilst Tamara Phillip recorded 7 points with 13 rebounds.
For Jamaica, Dhanyel Johnson picked up 12 points with 12 rebounds and both Gordon and George scored 11.
USVI make light work of SVG
As the championship resumed in the afternoon, the United States Virgin Islands defeated St Vincent and the Grenadines in game three action with a final score of 62-29. The US Virgin Islands started out on an 11-1 run in the first quarter in the first six minutes of play and kept their feet on the gas pedal, ending the first half leading St Vincent 32-20.
Brittney Matthew led the US Virgin Islands with 19 points and 3 assists, Victoria Hamilton chipped in with her double-double of 13 points and 13 boards. Vasha Adams of St Vincent and the Grenadines had a game high 20 points and 11 rebounds.
Bahamas rout Antigua & Barbuda
The Bahamas exploded out of the gate with a 22-7 first quarter against Antigua and Barbuda and never looked back, moving to 3-0 in Group B preliminary round play with a 74-39 win.
The Bahamas kept up the assault in the second period, outscoring Antigua 15-4 and taking a 37-11 lead into the locker room at halftime. Antigua found some offense in the third quarter, but it was not enough to get back in the game, as the Bahamas ballooned the lead to 33 points at 50-17. The third quarter ended with Bahamas up 58-29.
Shanea Armbrister and Malesha Petterson each scored 12 points for the Bahamas, while Ashley Moss pulled down 12 rebounds. Arrianne Whyte scored 14 points and nabbed 13 boards for Antigua.
Barbados overpower Guyana
It’s a good thing the first game Wednesday at the Multi-Purpose Sports Complex in Road Town, Tortola was illuminated by bright sunshine through the windows–because when the lights came on for the game between Guyana and Barbados, Dale-Marie Cumberbatch (BAR) shot them out, as Barbados came away with an impressive 81-61 win and a 2-1 final record in Group B play.
Cumberbatch shot 9-of-12 in the first half, including 5-of-6 on three-pointers, finishing the half with 24 points as her team took a 49-37 lead into the locker room at halftime.
Guyana (0-3), after scoring 23 points in the second period, struggled offensively in the second half, putting up a total of just 24 points as Ginelle Ifill sat out much of the game with foul trouble.
Cumberbatch sat much of the fourth quarter and finished with 29 points and 9 rebounds. Jamila Studer added 23 points for Barbados. Miriam McKenzie scored 25 points and pulled down 11 rebounds for Guyana.
The lineup today has the BVI playing St Vincent and the Grenadines at 2pm, followed by Guyana against Antigua and Barbuda at 4.15pm, Barbados against the Bahamas at 6.45pm and then Jamaica play the USVI at 9pm.
