The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

THE Bahamas women's national basketball team avenged last year's disappointment of missing out at a shot at the final by winning this year's Caribbean Basketball Championship title.

In the process, they also advanced to compete in the 2016 CentroBasket Championships, where they will have a chance to qualify for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan.

On Friday night at the BVI Multipurpose Sports Complex in Tortola, British Virgin Islands, the Bahamas trailed in the first three quarters but turned things around in the fourth quarter as they managed to pull off a hard fought 55-51 victory over Jamaica.

With three minutes and 10 seconds left, Philicia Kelly canned a basket to tie the score at 49-49. At 2:13, Sholanda Kelly pushed the Bahamas ahead for good on her basket. Kelly made another shot with 1:05 remaining to push the lead to 53-49 and after Jamaica came within one on Shenneika Smith's basket on the next play, it wasn't until Ashley Moss came up with a pivotal block and Neely grabbed an offensive rebound that point guard Diasti Delancy sank the final basket at the buzzer to seal victory.

Shanae Armbrister, who played in all but six seconds of the game, was named the most valuable player after she led the Bahamas with a game high 16 points. She also had seven rebounds, four steals and a blocked shot on her ledger.

Kelly finished with 12 points, six rebounds and two assists in 34 minutes. Delancy had eight points and three rebounds; 16-year-old point guard Valarie Nesbitt came off the bench to contribute eight points as well; Shalonda Neely only scored six points, but pulled down a game high 17 rebounds and Moss helped out with 16 rebounds, a game high six blocks and three points.

Shenneika Smith had 15 points for Jamaica, who also got 14 points and nine rebounds from Tarita Gordon. Jennifer George chipped in with 10 points and 11 rebounds.

Other members of the team were Linda Pierre, Lotoya 'Lil Thing' Thompson, Albertha Russell, Tracy Lewis, Malesha Petterson and Pedrica Bain.

Jamaica took a slim 11-10 lead after the first quarter and extended it to 31-24 at the half. They moved further in front 43-36 at the end of the third, but then the Bahamas took over, out-scoring Jamaica 19-8 in the fourth to remain undefeated in the tournament with five wins.

Yolett McPhee-McCuin became the first female coach to win the title. She was joined on the bench by Donnie Culmer and Varel Clarke-Davis. Jurelle Nairn was the team manager and Anastacia Sands-Moultrie was the chef-de-mission.

The Bahamas will now prepare for the CentroBasket, which is a FIBA-sponsored international basketball tournament featuring teams from Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, which form the Central American and Caribbean Confederation (CONCENCABA). No date or venue has been released for the event.

This will mark the first time that the Bahamas women's team has reached this level.

Starting on Monday at the same venue in Tortola, the Bahamas men's team, coached by Mario Bowleg, will begin defence of their title. They will open against Bermuda, play Guyana on Tuesday, Suriname on Wednesday and Antigua and Barbuda on Thursday before taking Friday off to prepare for the playoffs on Saturday.

The team is slightly different from last year, with MVP Marvin Gray and co-scoring leader C J Hinds both missing. But Bowleg said they intend to rely on their strength on the inside this time.