The 202X Secondary Schools Under-16 Boys’ Basketball Tournament concluded its championship round on Thursday, May 28 at the Beausejour Gymnasium, where defending champions St Mary’s College (SMC) from Vigie delivered a masterclass of dominance to secure another title. In a one-sided title clash, SMC outplayed Castries Comprehensive Secondary School (CCSS) from start to finish, closing out the game with a comfortable 46-24 victory to retain their crown.
Finals MVP Daelan Magloire turned in a historic all-around performance that powered SMC’s win, leading all scorers with 26 points while dominating both ends of the court. The standout forward notched 14 rebounds, four blocks, four steals and three assists, controlling every phase of the game and leaving CCSS unable to find an answer to his impact. Supporting Magloire, wing player Alexander Constantine contributed 12 points, four steals and four rebounds, while forwards Jayden Monrose and Jayden Isaac combined for 11 key rebounds to anchor SMC’s frontcourt. The champions also held clear advantages in key statistical categories: out-rebounding CCSS 38-31 and forcing twice as many turnovers from their opponents, 32 to SMC’s 16.
While CCSS fell well short of the upset, the school’s star player David Chandler put on a heroic individual performance that kept his side in the contest for as long as possible. Chandler poured in 17 points, pulled down 13 rebounds, blocked seven shots and recorded seven steals, numbers that would have earned him MVP honors in most finals. The young big man carried an extraordinary level of form into the title game after a stunning preliminary round run, where he averaged more than 23 points, seven steals and more than two blocks per game across three matches. Unfortunately for CCSS, Chandler received too little support from his teammates, leaving him as the only player able to generate meaningful offense or defensive stops against the deep SMC roster.
In the earlier third-place consolation match, Entrepot Secondary School edged out local Castries East rivals Leon Hess Comprehensive Secondary School by a narrow three-point margin, 29-26, to claim the tournament’s bronze position. Leading the way for Entrepot was Kobe Francis, who scored nine points and notched five steals to pace his side. Azaria Leon added eight points, while Jaiden Gregg contributed six points and a massive 15 rebounds. Yannis Mathurin further anchored Entrepot’s glass work with 13 rebounds of his own, and both Gregg and Leon chipped in four steals apiece to lock down the defensive end.
For Leon Hess Comprehensive, guard Cameron Guard led the team in scoring with six points, but an off shooting night derailed his side’s comeback hopes, as Guard connected on just three of his 19 field goal attempts. Forward Thomas Joseph pulled down 10 rebounds to lead the glass, and Guard added eight steals to his stat line to cap off an individual solid performance. Despite the late push, Leon Hess could not overcome their cold shooting, ending their tournament run with a disappointing fourth-place finish.