The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Tribune Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

TEAM Bahamas will advance to the next round in their bid for FIBA AmeriCup and World Cup qualifications.

The team finished second among Group Phase A at the AmeriCup 2021 Pre-Qualifiers, hosted last weekend at the Belize City Civic Center in Belize City, Belize. They concluded with a 2-1 record following Sunday night’s 86-72 win in the finale over the host country Belize.

Cuba finished the tournament at 3-0 while Belize was 1-2. The top two teams in each group will advance to the qualifying tournament that is slated to begin in November in a home-and-away series of games and continue in February and June, 2020.

Kentwan Smith and Shaquille Cleare led the Bahamas with double doubles as five players finished in double figures.

Smith finished with 18 points, 15 rebounds and four assists. He shot 6-9 from the floor, including 3-5 from beyond the arc.

Cleare finished with 16 points on 7-9 shooting from the field, 13 rebounds and two blocked shots.

Michael Carey scored a team high 21 points and eight rebounds, Lourawls Nairn added 11 points, seven assists and five rebounds while David Nesbitt scored 10.

Daniel Conorque led Belize with a game high 26 points, Delvin Daly had 11 while Glency Lopez and Jihad Wright each finished with 10 points.

“Tum Tum” Nairn made a jumper on the game’s opening possession and began a back and forth first quarter that featured two ties and four lead changes. Carey’s pair at the line gave the Bahamas an early seven-point lead (13-6) at the 6:19 mark in the first quarter. The Bahamas maintained a 17-10 lead before Belize scored seven unanswered points to tie the game at 17.

Nairn made a free throw, Cleare followed with a pair and Carey added a jumper to give the Bahamas a 22-17 lead. They led 22-19 at the end of one.

Belize tied the game at 30 early in the second quarter and again at 32, 34 and 37 before they went ahead 40-37 on a Daniel Conorque three-point play. Nairn would tie the game again with a three-point play of his own. After a Belize score, Nairn ended the quarter with a pair at the line to tie the game 42-42 at the half.

Shaquille Cleare was unstoppable in the third and scored or assisted on the first 12 points of the period for team Bahamas. They opened the third with consecutive jump hooks from Cleare for a quick four-point lead on their first two possessions. Cleare dished an assist to Nesbitt on the next play and it was pushed to a 6-0 run. Nairn made a three to give the Bahamas a 53-46 lead. The Bahamas’ run continued for much of the third capped when Nairn dished an assist to Michael Bain Jr to take a 64-55 lead into the fourth.

The Bahamas shot 4-7 from three-point range in the fourth as they pulled away to secure the win. Carey’s layup gave the Bahamas its first double digit lead (68-57) and Smith would bury a three pointer from the wing for a 76-63 lead to bring an end to a brief Belizian run.

Team Bahamas included a cross section of international and locally based players, including Domnick Bridgewater, who is currently playing in Fos Provence, France, Michael Carey out of Mexico, Jean Rony Cadot out of Spain, Kentwan Smith out of Denmark, David Nesbitt out of Brazil, 7-foot Winslo Barry out of Spain, Shavanno Cooper out of the Phillipines, Shaquille ‘Shaq’ Cleare out of Mexico and Lourawls Nairn, now working in the Phoenix Suns’ organisation in the National Basketball Association, Michael Bain Jr of the Commonwealth Bank Giants and both Eugene Bain and Torrington Cox of the PJ’s Stingers in the New Providence Basketball Association.

In game one, the Bahamas suffered an 88-74 loss to Cuba. Michael Carey finshed with 14 points, Lourawls Nairn and David Nesbitt each finished with 13 points, Shaquille Cleare added 12 points and nine rebounds while Kentwan Smith scored eight.

In game two, the Bahamas scored a dominant 110-56 win over Antigua and Barbuda. Carey had a game high 29 points, Nairn finished with nine points and 10 assists, Kentwan Smith scored 14, JR Cadot added 12 and Eugene Bain scored 10.