The race for top honors in Saint Lucia’s national Secondary Schools Under-16 Boys’ Basketball Tournament heated up on Thursday, May 14, as four competitive matchups unfolded at the Beausejour Gymnasium. By the end of the matchday, two schools had cemented their standing at the top of their respective groups, with St Mary’s College (SMC) locking down firm control of Group A and Soufriere Comprehensive Secondary School (SCSS) climbing into first place in Group B.
In the most lopsided matchup of the day, SMC delivered a dominant 49-13 victory over Leon Hess Comprehensive Secondary School (LHCSS), powered by an outstanding all-around performance from standout forward Daelan Magloire. Magloire put on a shooting clinic, sinking 24 points from 17 attempts, while also anchoring his team’s defense and rebounding with five boards and five steals. Supporting Magloire’s standout outing, Ernel “EJ” Mason chipped in 10 points and six rebounds, while Jayden Isaac added four points and pulled down a team-high nine rebounds for SMC. The St Mary’s squad dominated the glass all game, holding a substantial 32-17 rebounding advantage over Leon Hess. For the losing side, Frederick Tiris turned in a solid effort, leading LHCSS with seven points and five rebounds.
The second Group A matchup of the day was a far tighter, defense-focused contest, which saw Choiseul Secondary secure their first victory of the tournament with a 26-20 win over Vieux Fort Comprehensive Secondary School (VFCSS). Choiseul’s win was built on shared effort on the boards and aggressive perimeter defense: Christiano Nestor led the team’s scoring with 10 points and added 12 rebounds, while Gael Issac pulled down a game-high 14 rebounds, one of four Choiseul players that finished with at least nine rebounds. Rennel Joseph anchored the team’s full-court pressure, recording an impressive 14 steals. Despite the loss, VFCSS guard Tommy Kharis turned in one of the most historic individual performances of the matchday, notching a rare triple-double with 14 points, 11 rebounds and 11 steals. The result marked VFCSS’s second defeat of the group stage.
Over in Group B, Soufriere Comprehensive pulled off a dramatic fourth-quarter comeback to down Castries Comprehensive Secondary School (CCSS) 35-30, shutting out their opponents entirely in the final 10 minutes of play to claim the win and the group’s top spot. Kyree Clovis and Trenton Henry led Soufriere’s comeback effort, with each player scoring 13 points. Henry also turned in a dominant rebounding performance, collecting 18 boards to control the paint for SCSS. For CCSS, forward David Chandler put together a complete all-around stat line, leading his team with 15 points to go along with seven rebounds, five steals, three assists and five blocks, but his effort was not enough to hold off Soufriere’s late surge.
In the final matchup of the day, Entrepot Secondary Secondary (ESS) claimed their first win of the tournament with a tense 16-14 victory over Beanefield Comprehensive. The low-scoring contest went back and forth all game, with the teams tied at 12 and again at 14 in the final minutes before Entrepot closed out the win. Azaria Leon led the way for ESS, scoring 10 points to go with three rebounds and four steals, while Jaiden Gregg added eight points and pulled down a game-high 13 rebounds to secure the close victory.
The ongoing Under-16 tournament is organized by Saint Lucia’s Ministry of Education, Youth Development and Sports, as part of the department’s ongoing effort to develop young athletic talent across the island’s secondary school system.