By: BVI Platinum

USVI takes the trophy at the Men’s 2015 Caribbean Basketball Confederation (CBC) Championships. Photo: Caribbean Basketball Confederation

The United States Virgin Islands (USVI) leaned heavily on Khalid Hart who finished with 25 points to topple Bahamas, 71-65, and claim gold in the finals of the Caribbean Basketball Confederation (CBC) tournament for men last evening, June 21.

Bahamas settled for silver.

Hart shot 9 for 15 from the floor, sinking 5 three-pointers spread over the entire game at critical times when the USVI offense appeared stagnated.

Both teams entered the encounter unbeaten 5-0 in the preliminary group games and proved repeatedly why they were the better teams throughout the tournament. Bahamas was seeking to become the first team to sweep the men and women tournaments since Puerto Rico in 2007.

Bahamas opened the final quarter leading 56-55, but the USVI seized the lead when Hart stroked a 2-pointer at the 8:49 mark. The USVI lead peaked at 6 points, 62-56 when point guard Angel Rivera was able to weave his way to the basket for a two-pointer.

However, Bahamas would not go away without a fight and drew within a point of the USVI, 64-63, when Kadeem Coleby hit two freebies with 2:45 remaining. In the closing minutes, Bahamas had chances, but Leon Cooper committed critical turnovers – a travel violation and offensive foul – all within the final 40 seconds.

Magnun Rolle missed a three-pointer that would have cut the USVI lead to a point with 4 ticks on the game clock. Time expired shortly after Cuthbert Victor hit two free throws to seal the gold medal win for the USVI.

Ivan Aska, the tournament’s most valuable player, added 14 points and 10 rebounds, and Craig Williams Jr. 10 points for the USVI. Kentwan Smith led the scoring for Bahamas with 16 points.

In the bronze medal game, the BVI fell to Antigua and Barbuda, 82-73. This means that USVI, Bahamas and Antigua and Barbuda will move on to play in Centrobasket.

By VINO

BVI takes first game against St Vincent and the Grenadines 89-64 at the Men’s Caribbean Basketball Confederation (CBC) Championships. Photo: Charlie E. Jackson / VINO

The British Virgin Islands (BVI) got off to a winning start at the Caribbean Basketball Confederation (CBC) Championships on Monday June 15, 2015 with a crushing 89-64, victory over St Vincent and the Grenadines at the Multi-Purpose Sports Complex in Road Town, Tortola.

On several occasions it looked as if the tournament hosts were going to run away from St Vincent and the Grenadines but each time BVI took control SVG made a run and nearly leveled the game, including an amazing 4th quarter assault, when they almost came back from 18 points down.

The BVI, however, showed much resilience when it mattered most and used its size and outside shooting to finally put away SVG 84-69.

BVI led by as many as eight in the first, before the quarter ended 23-17.  Nyika Williams tied the game for SVG at 32 with 3:00 left in the second, but that’s when BVI started its biggest run, as SVG failed to score over the final three minutes of the half.  BVI took a 41-32 lead into the second half.

BVI blazed out of the gate in the second half, expanding the lead to 18 at 52-34, going on a 23-5 run from the 3:00 mark of the second quarter until the 5:35 mark of the third, when Halstead Chiverton drilled a three-pointer to make it 55-37.

SVG began a run of its own moments later, assisted by a technical foul against Chiverton and an unsportsmanlike foul against Kennedy H. Bass on back-to-back possessions with 1:29 left in the third. SVG would finish out the third quarter on a 21-7 run and trailed by just three at 59-56 heading into the fourth.

A bucket by Alexis Foyle with 8:41 left in the game drew SVG to within one at 61-60, however, Chiverton’s outside shooting and the interior defense by Kleon Penn proved too much for SVG, and BVI finished the game on a 23-9 run of its own.

Chiverton finished with 18 points for BVI (1-0), while Randy George had 16, Kilven Samuel had 15, and Norville ‘Banana’ Carey added 13 and ten rebounds. Kleon Penn added four points and blocked seven shots.

Foyle had 29 points for SVG (0-1), while both Shawn King and Sean Baptiste each had 11. King also had 15 rebounds.

In other day one matches
After trailing 5-2, Antigua and Barbuda (1-0) went on a 13-0 run with 7:36 remaining in the first quarter and never looked backed as they defeated Guyana (0-1) 80-60 in Group B.
Jerome Richardson led Antigua with 14 points while they also got 13 from Lenoxx McCoy and Ernest Scott. Antigua kept a double digit advantage after they took a 25-14 advantage with 8:53 left in the second quarter.

Guyana’s Gordon James led all scorers with 19 points while also grabbing a game-high 15 rebounds.

Defending Caribbean Basketball Confederation Champions, Bahamas defeated Bermuda 57-38, with Magnum Rolle leading the way for Bahamas with 11 points and 9 rebounds.
For Bermuda, Jason Lowe was the high point man with 15 points.