The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Chief Sports Editor

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

Across the United States of America, Canada and Europe, Bahamian basketball players are holding court for their respective high school, collegiate and professional teams.

Over the weekend, some of these players took the spotlight. Here’s a look at how they performed.

• Blaize Darling Jr, a 6-3 guard, posted 17 points with four rebounds and two steals in their 90-79 win over Florida College on Saturday. He is currently averaging 25.9 minutes per game, shooting .529 field goals (63-for-119), .167 from the three-point line (1-for-6) and .963 (79-for-82) from the free throw line for a 17.2 scoring average. He has also pulled down 84 rebounds, 23 on the offensive end and 61 defensively for a 7.0 average with 128 assists and 24 steals.

The Royals, who are 7-7, will be back in action on Wednesday as they host Ave Maria University at the Turner Athletic Center in Lake Wales, Florida. And on Saturday, they will host St Thomas University.

Darling Jr, 23, is the son of Blaize and Daphne Darling. He is studying sports management as a graduate student who transferred from Masters Academy.

• Anfernee Hanna scored 15 points with four rebounds, three assists and a steal for the Motlow State Community College Bucks, but it came in an 84-54 loss to Wallace State Community College-Hanceville on Saturday.

The Bucks, who suffered their fourth straight loss to drop to 2-15, will be back in action on Wednesday on the road against Chattanooga State Community College.

Hanna is a sophomore forward who is averaging 16.2 points per game, shooting 47.5 from the field, 40.3 from the three-point line and 69.0 from the free throw line. He is also averaging 6.0 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game.

• Greg McKay produced a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds as the Limestone University Saints marched past Tusculum 73-70 on Saturday in Greenville, Tennessee.

McKay, a 6-6 forward, is playing an average of 29.4 minutes per game with a scoring average of 17.9 with a total of 233 points. He is shooting 77-for-156 for a .494 average from the field; 16-for-39 for a .410 average from three-point shooting and 63-for-77 for an average of .818 from the free throw line. He also has an average of 8.2 rebounds with a total of 107 (31 offensively and 76 defensively) with 31 assists, 15 steals and seven block shots. 

The Saints will be back in action on Wednesday in the first of three home games against UVA Wise. They will also play Emory & Henry on Saturday. 

McKay, the 23-year-old son of Gregory McKay and Anishka Taylor, is studying business administration/general business.

• Chucky Hepburn, a 6-2 guard with the Louisville Cardinals, scored 10 points with seven assists and a pair of steals in their 70-50 win over Virginia on Saturday in Charlottesville, Virginia. 

In 15 games, Hepburn is averaging 15.53 points per game with a total of 233 points. Hepburn, 21, is the son of Greg and Melize Hepburn and he has a brother Trey, who plays basketball at the University of Nebraska Kearney. 

• Shenell Stewart provided 14 points, six steals and four rebounds on Saturday as the Marshalltown Community College Tigers ladies’ team lost 55-50 to the Ellsworth Panthers. The Tigers, who fell to 11-4, will be back in action on Wednesday against Kirkqiood Community College ibn Johnson Hall, Cedar Rapids, Iowa and on Saturday against Des Moines Area Community College.

Stewart, a 5-8 guard, is averaging 14.8 points, shooting 46.6 from the field, 32.5 from the three-point line and 50.0 from the free throw line, with 7.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game.

Romad Dean canned 13 points with six rebounds for the Fordham Rams as they fell 86-66 to St Bonaventure Bonnies on Saturday at the Rose Hill Gym in Bronx, New York.

In their 15 games so far, Dean is averaging 24.3 points for a total of 364 minutes. He is shooting .483 percent from the field (42-for-47); .442 from the three-points line (23-for-52) and .667 from the free throw line (16-for-24). 

He also has 5.5 rebounds with 68 offensively and 83 defensively, while getting 11 steals, eight assists and seven block shots.

Dean, a native of Freeport, Grand Bahama and a member of the men’s national basketball team, is the son of Nikeisha and Missick Dean.

Richard Lowe powered through with a double-double with 17 points and 14 rebounds, along with two block shots as Lemoyne-Owen College Magicians lost their eighth straight 84-80 to Albany State at the Arena at West Campus in Albany, Georgia on Saturday.

Lowe, in their 14 games, is averaging 28.3 minutes per game. He’s shooting .593 on 67-for-113 from the field and .576 on 38-for-66 from the free throw line.

The 6-8 forward is also averaging 8.7 rebounds with a total of 122, 38 offensively and 84 defensively. He also has 20 assists, 15 steals and eight blocks.

The Magicians, who are 1-13, will not play again until Saturday when they face Tuskegee at the Bruce-Johnson Hall in Memphis, Tennessee.

Freshman Donnie Freeman powered through with a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds as Syracuse lost to Florida State 90-74 at the Tucker Civic Center in Tallahassee, Florida.

The 6-9 forward from St John’s College and IMG Academy is the son of Dedglan and Darshelle Freeman. He has enrolled in the College of Arts and Sciences at Syracuse, but has not declared a major.

The Orangemen will play again on Tuesday against Georgia Tech at the JMA Wireless Dome in Syracuse and then Boston College on Saturday in Chestnut Hill, Massasuetts.

He also played on the Bahamas men’s national basketball team.

Brent Moss and the Barton County Cougars pulled an 86-79 win over Mineral Area College as he scored 12 points with four rebounds and two block shots on Saturday.

Moss, a 6-6 sophomore guard from Grand Bahama, has played a total of 403 minutes as a starter. He’s averaging 50.0 from the field, shooting 77-for-154; 37.5 with 9-for-24 from the three-point line and 85.0 percent (51-for-60) from the free throw line for a total of 214 points.

The Cougars, who won their third straight game to improve to 11-3, will play again on Wednesday against Fort Hays Tech Northwest and the Colby Community College on Saturday.