The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Tribune Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

The 33rd edition of the Father Marcian Peters Basketball Classic produced new champions in five of the six contested divisions.

Dozens of the top primary, junior and intermediate programmes across the country competed over the course of the week, culminating in a series of championship games at the Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium on Saturday.

The Teleos Cherubims primary boys were the only team to repeat as champions. The Cherubims made it back-to-back titles with a 31-15 win over the Jordan Prince Williams Falcons.

In 2017 they defeated the St Thomas More Sparks 17-15.

In the primary girls’ division, the Xavier’s Giants defeated the defending champions Temple Christian Suns 16-9.

The Suns, perennial contenders in the division, faced another Catholic primary school powerhouse in the title game after they defeated the St Francis and Joseph Shockers 21-17.

The HO Nash Lions produced a pair of runners-ups in the junior division but fell to QC and JPW in the girls’ and boys’ games respectively.

In junior girls, the Queen’s College Comets defeated the Lions 18-11 while the Falcons’ junior boys scored the most lopsided win of the afternoon, 33-16 over the Lions.

In the senior girls’ division, the St John’s College Giants won 27-22 over the CI Gibson Rattlers.

The CV Bethel Stingrays won the intermediate boys’ title with a 29-26 win over the Doris Johnson Mystic Marlins who finished as runners-up for the second consecutive year.

Over 60 teams registered for the week-long event, hosted by the Ministry of Youth, Sports, and Culture.

A total of 12 primary boys, five primary girls, 16 junior boys, five junior girls, 13 intermediate boys, and 10 senior girls’ teams comprised the field.

Following a hiatus for the 2015 edition, the tournament had a successful return in 2016.

The tournament traditionally features scores of teams from the primary girls and boys, junior girls and boys, intermediate boys and senior girls.

Father Marcian Peters, who passed away in 1981, was known as a national sporting icon for his contributions to basketball and softball as tools of social development.

Today the tournament stands as the largest and most popular inter-school basketball event in the Bahamas.