Unbeaten Bahamas were crowned the Caribbean Basketball Confederation (CBC) Boys U16 champions last night by after they defeated hosts Guyana 84-57 in the final at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.
It was a clinical showing from the Bahamians as they basically ended the contest at the half time interval, Dominick Bridgewater led the assault with 34 points and eight rebounds. He was assisted Samuel-Hunter, Joshua Cornish, Detarrio Thompson and Michael Cartwright who scored 10, nine, seven and six points respectively.
Although the Guyanese exceeded all expectations in meeting the final, they were no match for the Bahamians. For the Guyanese, Kevon Wiggins recorded 25 points and 14 rebounds with the next best scorer being Nigel Bowen with 10 points.
Both teams qualified for the u17 CentroBasket Championships in 2017.
The first period set the tone for the lopsided matchup as Bahamas outscored the hosts 30-18. Further misery was heaped on the home side as Bahamas netted 24 points while reducing their foe to a paltry eight points to lead 54-26 at the half.
The third period was a continuation of the Bahamian domination as they outshot Guyana by a 19-7 margin to lead 73-33 heading into the final quarter. With the championship firmly in Bahamas control, Guyana finally outscored their opponent 24-11.
Meanwhile, Jamaica rounded out the top three after defeating Barbados 66-58 in the third place playoff. Jalen Menzies netted 21 points and four steals while Samora Williams recorded a double-double with 17 points and 23 rebounds. Chipping in with 13 points was Jabari Cunningham.
On the other side, Makaari Jones scored 19 points while Kiserian Adams had 17 points and Rasheed Maynard registered 10 points and 11 rebounds. With the win the Jamaicans qualified for the u17 CentroBasket Championships in 2017.
Suriname claimed the fifth spot in the event after edging Antigua and Barbuda 85-77. Andrew Blijd was the top scorer in the win with 24 points and nine rebounds.
He was supported by a Farai Stoffels double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds while Chevaro Kioppenburg netted 14 points and Serdinio Rozewijn bagged a double-double of 11 points and 12 rebounds.
Anthony Greer and Lincoln Weeks recorded 26 and 25 points respectively. Also, the British Virgin Islands (BVI) finished seventh in the event after defeating Aruba 69-57.
K’Moi Walters led the winner with 18 points while Renrick Masaac and Nixon Hamilton assisted with 13 and 12 points respectively.
For Aruba, Quentan Milton bagged a double-double of 18 points and 11 rebounds while Leonardo Winterdal and Jevahno Maduro scored 11 points each. The female version of the event will commence at the same venue on July 12th.
