The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

The Bahamas women’s national basketball team clinched the bronze medal at the FIBA Caribbean Women’s Cup Championships and in the process, qualified for the Centro Basket from August 20-24 in Puerto Rico.

On Thursday night at the Anthony Nesty Sporthal in Paramaribo, Suriname, The Bahamas knocked off Barbados 65-56 to earn the bronze medal and will join Cuba and the Dominican Republic, who played for the gold and silver medals, as the top two qualifiers for Centro Basket.

The Bahamas had two players in double figures as Brea Forbes led the way with 17 points, five steals and four rebounds, while Shalonda Neely added 11 points with five rebounds, three assists and as many steals. Valerie Nesbitt had nine points, nine assists and seven steals; Pamela Bethel also contributed nine points with four rebounds and two block shots.

Shakia Small had a game high 18 points for Barbados, who had two other players in double figures.

Wayde Watson, the interim head coach, said he couldn’t ask for a better showing from the players.

“At one point, Barbados cut the deficit down to two points, but we managed to withstand their run and pulled it off,” Watson said. “Again we didn’t get off to a great start. We were still trying to find a team to go with, but we knew we had the talent to pull it off. We just joggled the line-up to try and pull it off.

“Fortunately, we were able to put it all together and came out with the win. So I’m very proud of these young ladies.”

For their effort, Watson gave them a B-minus.

“They wanted to represent the country, so I gave them an A for that,” he insisted. “I cant say much about them because they wanted to represent their country and they came out and did their best. There are some things that we can still work on as we get ready for the next tournament in August.”

While the decision rests on the Bahamas Basketball Federation in the selection of the coaching staff, Watson said if he get the nod, he will be ready to take up the challenge again.

Assistant coach Varel Davis said the ultimate goal for Team Bahamas was to qualify and she credited Watson for doing a tremendous job in coaching his first women’s national team as he filled in for Yolett McPhee-McCuin, who was unable to travel because of her commitments to Ole Miss University as the new head coach.

“We had high hopes that we would beat Barbados,” she stated. “We had a slow start again, but it was an all around team effort. We still have a lot of work to do for the tournament in August. Most of these young ladies will be returning to school, so we are almost back to the drawing board in finding a team to representing the country in August.

“But the win was a good win. We are excited, happy . The ladies stepped up, so we will enjoy this one. We came here to qualify and we did. So we give God all the thanks and glory. These girls played hard and they encouraged each other. That was the factor in us winning these games and qualifying.”