By VINO

The BVI were brought down to earth with a bump on Tuesday June 9, 2015, with a 79-49 defeat to Barbados at the Caribbean Basketball Confederation (CBC) Women’s Championship in the Multi-Purpose Sports Complex in Road Town.

The BVI started the game looking nervous and tentative, despite the famous victory over Guyana the previous night. They soon found themselves in deep trouble, down 20-5 at the end of the first quarter.

Barbados went on a nine-point run to start the second quarter and it wasn’t until over half way through the period that first Joy Victor and then Tiffany Jennings began to put some smiles back on their team mates faces and those of a Spartan crowd. A big block by Tammy Phillip, followed by a quick interchange between Tyalia Nibbs and Jennings, brought further confidence of a resurgence, but with the Barbadians keeping the Phillip sisters out of the game offensively, it proved short lived.

The half time score of 38-21 became 55-37 at the end of the third and although there were some glimmers of hope during the 4th, including a Keithreece Smith “3”, it is back to the drawing board ahead of tonight’s crunch game against Jamaica.

Jennings was the top scorer for the BVI with 14, Tamara Phillip was held to just 8 with 11 Rebounds and Darier Malone finished with 6.

For Barbados, Toni Atherley scored 21 Points, Dale-Marie Cumberbatch 15 with 9 Rebounds and Astrid Alleyne 11 with 8 Rebounds.

Jamaica thrash Guyana
Earlier, Jamaica blew the game wide up in the second half to defeat Guyana 70-43 when they outscored them, 36-28, including not allowing a point until the 3:40 during the 4th quarter to run away with their second victory at the Championships.

They were lead by Tarika Gordon who finished with 23 points. Yanique Gordon was able to build off her game one performance with 15 points and 7 rebounds.

In a losing effort, Miriam Ruth McKenzie finished with 24 points and 13 rebounds. Guyana complete group play tomorrow against Barbados at 2:00 pm while Jamaica, the defending champs, look to sweep the group against the British Virgin Islands at 9:00 pm.

USVI hammer Antigua
After a tight first quarter, the United States Virgin Islands used a smothering pressure defense and an explosive offense to pull away from Antigua & Barbuda, 94-31. The USVI led by just three, 15-12, after one period. But Britney Matthew exploded for 17 first-half points as USVI outscored Antigua 22-4 in the second to take a 37-16 lead at halftime. The Virgin Islands’ defense held Antigua scoreless for the first 6:43 of the second period.

The exciting athleticism of the Virgin Islands continued to be on display in the second half as they continued their dominance, leading 64-26 after the third quarter.

Matthew led all scorers with 25 points. Quatica Johnson and Victoria Hamilton each added 13, while Natalie Day had 12 for the Virgin Islands(1-1). Dalia Clarke led Antigua (1-1) with 9.

Bahamas turns game around to beat SVG
Trailing by eleven to St Vincent and Grenadines at halftime in preliminary Group A play, the Bahamas found some motivation in the locker room from their head coach, Yolett McPhee.
“I told them that if they were serious about playing for their country and not for themselves, they would come out in the second half and show it,” McPhee said.

The team listened and responded, and came away with a 62-54 come-from-behind win over St Vincent and Grenadines, moving to 2-0 in preliminary round play. St Vincent and Grenadines (0-2) led 18-9 after one and 40-29 at half.

The Bahamas outscored St Vincent and Grenadines 20-7 in the third to take a 49-47 lead heading into the final period, taking their first lead at 45-44 with 1:30 to play in the third.

A Shanea Armbrister three-pointer built the lead to eight at 59-51 with 3:43 to play, but a three-pointer by Sheldeen Joseph with 2:55 to play cut the lead back to five. Armbrister answered a moment later, however, with another three, and SVG was never able to get any closer.

Action continues at 2pm with Guyana against Barbados, then at 4pm Bahamas play Antigua and Barbuda before the USVI play St Vincent and the Grenadines at 6.00pm.

Group play concludes at 9m with the BVI facing Jamaica.

By the BVI Basketball Federation

The BVI Basketball Federation has confirmed the staging of the 2015 BVIBF Summer League which now has been rescheduled to start on May 16.

Rosters can be collected from members of the Federation. The deadline for submission with full payment of fees is May 11.

The age limit for the Junior Division is up to 19 years old (to qualify, a player cannot turn 20 in  2015). The entry fee for the Junior Division is $225 per team. The Senior Division is open and the entry fee is $300.00 per team.

Due to the hosting of the Caribbean Basketball Confederation Tournaments which start on June 8, this will be another “short and sweet” league which limits the number of teams that can participate to 12 teams for the Junior Division and 10 teams for the Senior Division.

A Coaches and Managers meeting is scheduled for Wednesday,  May 13 at the Department of Youth Affairs and Sports Conference Room at 5:30 p.m. and all Coaches and Managers are being asked to make a special effort to attend this important meeting.

Any questions or requests for rosters can be sent directly to the Federation’s email address, bvibasket14@gmail.com. Completed rosters with relevant fees must be delivered to the Treasurer, Clayton O’Neal or Assistant Treasurer, Judith Harrigan on or before the deadline.

By BVI Platinum

The Virgin Islands is gearing up to host the 2015 Caribbean Basketball Confederation (CBC) Championships for men and women at the Multipurpose Sports Complex from June 8-21.

Officials from FIBA spent last weekend examining facilities and ensuring that the BVI can deliver a world class event similar to last year’s CBC tournament which was also hosted on Tortola.

“We know that the BVI, not only the Government, but the people are very hospitable; they come out and watch the championships,” said Mr. Glyne Clarke, President of CBC at a press conference to launch the tournament yesterday, April 20.

Group A of the men’s tournament features Barbados, BVI, Cayman Islands, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and the USVI. Group B sees Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Bermuda, Guyana and Suriname.

On the women’s side, Group A features Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and USVI, while Group B includes BVI, Jamaica, Barbados and Guyana.

Clarke explained that their visit this year is more cosmetic.

“We had an intense session yesterday [Sunday] with the local organizing committee where we reviewed all the requirements and ensured that everything was discussed point by point. We had some concerns, just minor concerns from last year’s championships and the local organizing committee had some concerns from last year’s championship as well. All in all, I think we are set to have a fantastic and successful tournament free of any incidents,” Clarke explained.

The tournament qualifies the three teams from the championships for the next round of the competition, Centrobasket. From the Centrobasket tournament, four teams will qualify to play for the Americas Cup.

Mrs. Dawn Crabbe-Herbert, Director of Play 2 Win Limited is the producer for the tournament for the second consecutive year.

She told BVI Platinum News that this is a major financial undertaking.

“What makes it unique is that we were able to go out and get media rights company to buy in. We have sold those rights to pull off this tournament of this magnitude. We are happy that because we did such a good job, we were able to partner with entities that saw it fitting to be able to assist in the financing of such a venture,” Crabbe-Herbert explained.

Speaking about last year’s dismal turnout from fans, she said that the organizing committee has made adjustments.

“Last year, one of the issues and the complaints were financing. I think we have rectified that this year. This year the game will be $5 to come to the game. We want the public to come out and support their countries. We don’t want funding to be the reason why persons would not be available to come out. We have thrown out the great big profit and we are focusing on building and structuring of the togetherness of the community. For $5, come out and support your countries. During the morning games we will be opening it free of cost to all the schools,” Crabbe-Herbert stated.

By VINO

Despite another inspiring performance from Malchy Payne and Kmoy Walters, the Elmore Stoutt High School Junior Boys Varsity team came up short, 39-46, in game 3 of the St John-St Thomas Interscholastic Athletic Association Tournament against Charlotte Amalie Hawks at the Multi-Purpose Sports Complex on Sunday April 12, 2015.

The decisive win gave the Hawks the Championship after they had won game one last Friday and then suffered a game two defeat, 50-27, to the Rams on Saturday, April 11, 2015.

After grabbing a quickfire lead, the Rams found themselves on the back foot and chasing the game from as early as two minutes in the first quarter. The Hawks stretched to first a five point lead and then a nine point lead before the Rams pulled back to within three.

However, with a turn over and a couple of missed opportunities, the Rams were down eight at the break, 9-17.

With the Rams seemingly going to a man to man marking ploy to stop the rampaging Hawks, once again the Rams found themselves chasing the ball as the lead reached eleven points. Once again the Rams clawed their way back into the game, reducing the deficit to nine, then seven and then five as the home crowd began to get right behind the Elmore Stoutt High School boys.

The halftime score was 23-26 to the Hawks.

A defensive battle highlighted the third quarter with the Hawks finally opening the lead, again on a couple of fast breaks and some impatient shooting by the Rams, to end the period, 31-39.

In the 4th quarter, the Hawks took control of the ball for the first three minutes, until Sanjwan France notched a basket to reduce the gap to just six. Jamoi Levons and Michael Richardson also made baskets, but visits to the free throw line gave the Hawks the breathing space they needed.

Levons splashed a three to bring the scores to 36-42 into the last 90 seconds, but the Hawks had done enough to claim the victory and with it the Championship.

Payne finished with 11 points, Walters and Ajai Frett, 9, whilst Richardson notched 7.

For the Hawks, Daveon Plumber hit 14 and Vallon Toiussaint, 13.

By VINO

Kmoy Walters and the Elmore Stoutt High School Junior Varsity Rams levelled the Championship series of the St Thomas- St John Interscholastic Athletic Association with a 50-27 rout of Charlotte Amalie High School on Saturday April 11, 2015 at the Multi-Purpose Sports Complex.

Walters scored 24 points to lead the Rams to victory while Malachy Payne added 15 points to level the series at 1-1 in the best of 3.

Rams coach, Bryant Thomas made some changes to the starting line-up following a 37-29 defeat in game one played on Friday April 10, 2015 in St Thomas, bringing in some bigger players and then tasking his team with being more aggressive from the start.
It certainly worked as the Rams raced into a 14-2 lead at the end of the first quarter and then snuffed out any danger of the Hawks getting back into the game during the second quarter, to reach the half, 28-16 ahead.

“The Hawks started to get back into the game early in the 2nd quarter as we eased off a little,” commented Thomas. “However, I told them to focus and get back to being aggressive.”

The third quarter was all the Rams as they went on a nine-point run and restricted their opponents to just one point in the entire quarter as it ended 39-17.

The Rams reverted to a zonal defense during the 4th quarter, happy to protect the lead and hit the Hawks on the break. A sequence of visits to the free throw line gave the visitors a glimmer, but a three pointer by Renric Mossac put the game to bed at 50-27 and sent the series to a decider.

The Rams suffered a 37-29 loss in the first game of the series, having seen the Hawks dominate the first half, which ended with the Hawks up 14.

Walters again led the Rams response as he knocked down a pair of 3-pointers and hit 8 of his 11 points in the third quarter to reduce the Hawks lead to just nine at 30-21, but the Hawks held on to grab the early advantage.

Michael Richardson pitched in with 10 points for the Rams.

Source: VINO

The BVI Basketball Federation will be hosting the 2015 Senior Men’s and Women’s Caribbean Basketball Confederation (CBC) Championships for the second consecutive year.

The BVI will be entering a Women’s team in the CBC tournament for the first time, as according to Keith ’88’ Malone, “The time is right.”

Malone also noted that the coaching staff is being assembled and the squad will include a lot of the girls who recently played in the St Thomas/St John’s Inter Scholastic Tournaments as well as Tamara and Tafar Phillips.

Other more experienced players are being encouraged to participate in what is expected to be a very tough baptism for the senior women’s team.

The 2015 CBC Championships for women will run from June 8 – 13, 2015 in Tortola, Virgin Islands and will have the participation of the national teams of Antigua & Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, British Virgin Islands, Guyana, Jamaica, St Vincent and the Grenadines, and the US Virgin Islands.

The Men’s Championships will run from June 15 – 21, 2015. Participating national teams include Antigua & Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, British Virgin Islands, Guyana, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, and the US Virgin Islands.

Results of the Draw for the Women:
Group A: Antigua & Barbuda, Bahamas, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, US Virgin Islands.

Group B: Barbados, British Virgin Islands, Guyana, Jamaica.

Results of the Draw for the Men:
Group A: Barbados, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, US Virgin Islands.

Group B: Antigua & Barbuda, Bahamas, Bermuda, Guyana, Suriname.

In the draw, the teams were divided into two groups that will play round-robins within the group. The top two teams from each group will qualify for a semi-final where the 1st place of Group A will play the second place of Group B and vice versa. The winners of the Semi-Finals will advance to the Finals.

At the last CBC Championship held in Tortola, BVI in 2014, the Bahamas won the Men’s Championship and Jamaica won the Women’s Championship. Both teams qualified for the 2014 Centrobasket Championship held in Mexico.

By BVISports.com

The Charlotte Amalie High School boys and Elmore Stoutt High School girls of Tortola earned championships Sunday at the Bertha C. Bochulte International March Madness Junior Varsity Basketball Tournament.

The Charlotte Amalie boys outlasted Elmore Stoutt 42-38 behind clutch free throws by Vallon Toussaint on Sunday afternoon.

“Both teams were in bonus situation in the third period so it became a free throw shooting competition,” said Charlotte Amalie JV coach Thomas Brutvan. “I told the guys to get the ball to Vallon and Jonathan (Eliasa) and they took us home.”

Toussaint hit two big free throws with 45 seconds left as the Hawks held a 40-36 advantage. Michael Richardson, who scored 16 points, answered by splitting a pair of free throws to get Stoutt within three.

Toussaint then nailed another with 30 seconds left and Eliasa put the game away with one of his own.

“I told my guys to be strong with the ball,” Brutvan said. “Our guard play was somewhat exceptional today. I knew they (Stoutt) have an outstanding man-to-man and 1-2-2 press. They like to create multiple turnovers and score four to six points in the blink of an eye. We did not commit too many turnovers; we took care of the basketball.”

Charlotte Amalie was 8-of-15 shooting in the fourth at the free-throw line and 17 of 35 for the game. Elmore Stoutt was 7 of 22 in their attempts at the line.

“This was a great tournament to be a part of,” Brutvan said. “I can’t remember a JV tournament with so many close games and a double-overtime thriller. This was truly March Madness.”

Toussaint had 16 points and Eliasa put in eight to pace the Hawks attack.

Charlotte Amalie finished the tournament undefeated in four games and got to the finals after getting by the host team 36-35. Eliasa hit three treys as the Hawks stormed back from as much as 14 points down to pull out a win. He finished with 12 points and Toussaint added nine. J’Wan Roberts had nine points to lead BCB.

Elmore Stoutt survived a Eudora Kean test 40-33 in the semifinals. Richardson was marked for 12 points and Renlil Massac Jr. added 10. Eudora Kean was led by Jahkwani Williams’ 10 points.

In the battle for third place, BCB bounced back and held off Eudora Kean 44-40.

Jeremiah James knocked down two big 3-pointers in the third period to separate the teams. James ended up with a team-high 11 points and Robert added eight for the Blazers. Jasheem Morton and Riquoi Benjamin each contributed 13 points for the Rays.

Elmore Stoutt’s Shaliquah Fahie put St. Thomas-St. John Interscholastic Athletic Association girls varsity basketball scene on notice. She had the performance of the tournament, scoring the last seven Stoutt points, lifting the Lady Rams over the BCB Lady Blazers 35-30, avenging an earlier loss.

“She is such a wonderful player,” Stoutt coach Derwin Scattlife said. “She told me before the game that if we are in a close one, she is promising a victory. She took on the challenge of defending each one of the better offensive players for BCB. She had three big steals while playing on top of the defensive zone.”

Fahie’s basket gave Stoutt a 30-26 lead with 1:44 on the clock.

Jah’Lysha Samuel answered with a tough jump shot as BCB got within stinking distance. However, Fahie was fouled going to the basket and hit two free throws to go up 32-28 with 44 seconds remaining.

After a pair of turnovers, BCB’s Nailea Nicholas laid the ball to get her team within two.

Fahie promise to her coach would be fulfilled as she took the inbounds pass, drove down the right side by defenders and laidthe ball in while being fouled. She added the free throw to put the game away.

“She only had one foul and I told her to be aggressive,” Scatliffe said. “She got two of BCB’s best in foul trouble and she played like how I expected her to play.

“This one (tournament) is very sweet. I only had three quarters of my team. “One of my issues is finances. If I had my big three, no team could beat us. Next year, if our finances are straightened out, we will be a force in this league.”

Fahie had a game- and tournament-high 19 points.

Samuel and Nicholas reached double-digit scoring for the Blazers with 13 and 11 points, respectively.

The Blazers routed Elmore Stoutt 29-17 and held Fahie scoreless in the second half on Saturday.

March Madness Junior varsity tournament Bertha C. Boschulte Middle School, St. Thomas, Final Standings:

Boys
1. Charlotte Amalie (4-0)
2. Elmore Stoutt (3-1)
3. Bertha C.Boschulte (2-2)
4. Eudora Kean (1-3)
5. Addelita Cancryn (1-2)
6. V.I. Montessori (0-3)

Girls
1. Elmore Stoutt (4 -1)
2. Bertha C. Boschulte (2-1)
3. Charlotte Amalie (2-2)
4. Addelita Cancryn (0-2)
5. Elena Christian (0-2)

By: BVI Basketball Federation

Schedule of games for the remainder of March, 2015

By BVI Platinum

The ESHS varsity boys’ basketball team started out preparing for the USVI high school league early January 2015 and from the beginning of training camp, the boys were determined and excited to be competing in the league.

It was the first time that the high school had been invited to play on the sister islands where they have a solid high school basketball league.

“We knew we did not have much time as we got the nod to play in the league that was starting in a few weeks, but I knew we needed to get to work and so we practiced every day after school and on Saturdays to get where we needed to be, our PE head Mr. Derwin Scatliffe have been trying hard to get us in the league and he got it accomplished,” said coach Steve Parillon.

The First Game

The team’s first games were at the Martin Luther King Tournament which was held from January 16th – 18th in St Thomas USVI. The ESHS Rams boys did not do too well only winning one game in the tournament. This tournament was the first for most of the players who had never competed overseas, and the performances showed.

“I felt this tournament was great for us. I felt we got the exposure and the guys got a chance to experience the competition level in the USVI, I often reminded them during time outs that if they wanted to compete with these schools we would have to practice harder because I felt we had the potential to beat them,” Parillon Stated.

Improvement

After the Martin Luther King Tournament, the ESHS Rams headed back to work although they had a few players who did not make the first tournament because of academic reasons.

The athletic program at ESHS has put in place an academic criterion for representing the school which states that no athlete with a GPA under 2.3 can represent the school unless they improve their grades.

The team got back to work in the class and on the basketball court ensuring the players got the proper tutoring and training so they could be a complete team. They played their first weekend of the league and won one of three games again but they were competing at a higher level and people in the USVI noticed their improvement.

The Big Tournament

With the reinstatement of two players who had gotten their grades up; the ESHS had been at full strength for the first time in preparation for the big IEKHS tournament in St. Thomas.

The tournament held between February 20th -22nd also featured Central High and Complex High from St Croix and Charlotte Amarlie High, Antilles, St Peter and Paul, and the home team Ivanna Eudora Kean High from St Thomas.

The first game of the tournament saw the Rams defeat Antilles High School by a score of 49 – 34 led by Fifth form guard Jacoy Walwyn and 10th grade center, Eral Penn with 10 points.

The following day, the Rams would have a tough task ahead of them having to win 3 games in one day to make the finals. The second game of the tournament, the Rams played one of their best games of the day by defeating the home team IEKHS by a score of 53-44 leaving the home stands in shock.

The Rams were led by Jacoy Walwyn, 17points and Eral Penn and Akeem Nibbs added 10 points. The victory brought great confidence to the team and it opened the eyes of several on lookers who never thought the Rams could trump the home team.

“This game was the best I ever seen the team played. When we woke very early that morning I told the team I felt good it’s going to be a good day. I then bought them breakfast which I felt made them even happier considering our somewhat lack of money, but on a whole we executed the game plan well and the guys started to realize their full potential and that they can play with the power house schools of the USVI” Coach Parillon stated.

After the big win, the ESHS Rams destroyed St Peter and Paul High School with the score of 62-31 led by Jacoy Walwyn 12 points and Eral Penn 10 points setting up an undefeated match with St Thomas power house, Charlotte Amarlie High school Hawks with both teams holding identical 3-0 record.

Power House Upset

The Rams defeated the Hawks by 1 point as the buzzer sounded to pull off the biggest upset of the weekend. A game where the Rams lost a double digit lead to almost losing the game in regulation saw the ESHS varsity boys took the victory with a score of 47-46 led by Jacoy Walwyn 13points and Devante Brewley 12 points.

“You had to be in the gym to really feel this win. For us, this was like the championship. Beating CAHS was not an easy task, but again the way our team was playing on this day we were going to beat anyone who came up against us. I told my guys I was so proud of them for going 4-0 and defeating the two power house of St Thomas in one day, I will always cherish that moment with the team as we all celebrated that victory away from home” Coach Parillon elaborated.

The Rematch

The following morning the CAHS and Rams found their self in a rematch where the Hawks crushed the Rams to take the weekend title. ESHS did not look like the team who had been playing all weekend; they were basically out played from the beginning losing by a score of 63-31. Jacoy Walwyn scored a mere 5 points.

“I really don’t have much to say about this game, we did not come to play basketball, I tried every rotation, every defense, I even broke my clip board, and the way the Hawks were playing we would have had to bring our A game to defeat them” Coach stated.

The Rams finish the tournament in second place with a record of 4-1 similar to the champions CAHS, with ESHS players Akeem Nibbs winning the most assist award and Eral Penn winning the most blocks award.

“My overall view on this tournament was very positive, except for the last game. People of the BVI should be very proud of these guys. All over the media in the USVI the ESHS was well represented not just in our play but in the way we carried ourselves. It was a great weekend for the school program as the Varsity Rams girls also won their first game of the season and represented the girls program well,” Parillon stated.

He stated that the school is trying to build a structured program built on academic and discipline.

“We want to involve all our programs in whatever sports competition that is available to us, we want to build an atmosphere that students can look forward to be proud of attending the ESHS. We are going to continue to strive for success with all our programs and with the help of our community however your help is needed; we can make the BVI a proud country to represent,” Coach Parillon’s final words.

The ESHS Rams Varsity and Junior Varsity boys will be travelling to St Thomas to play this weekend.

The Elmore Stoutt High School ESHS Rams Varsity and Junior Varsity will also be hosting their first ESHS basketball invitational with Varsity boys and girls between March 20th and 22nd at the Save the Seed center and Junior Varsity Boys and Girls between March 27th and 29th also at the Save The Seed Center.