On Saturday night at Beausejour Gymnasium, the Bonne Terre Blazers delivered a masterclass in defensive intensity and long-range shooting to secure a 17-point comeback victory over two-time defending champions Soufrière Kings, claiming the Ricky “Skecky” Estwick Trophy 49-32 in the decisive third game of the 2026 KFC National Basketball League finals. This marked the Blazers’ second league title in four years, with standout forward Andre Louison leading his squad to a historic win after a tightly contested series.
For the first time since the league’s revival in 2023, the championship series was pushed to a winner-takes-all final match, a testament to the two teams’ exceptional parity. After the first two games, the combined point difference between the squads stood at just six points, setting the stage for a dramatic deciding matchup. Reeling from a underwhelming performance in Game 2, the Blazers restructured their game plan heading into the decisive contest: they slowed the tempo to build a more structured offensive scheme and drastically ramped up their defensive pressure compared to their previous outing.
Despite the Blazers’ adjustments, the defending champions got off to a fast start, taking control of the game early. Center Jayzee Saltibus dominated the interior rebounding, while guards Linzell Alcee and Kimani Charles ran efficient fast breaks that pushed the Kings to an 8-point lead, 20-12, early in the second quarter. What followed was a pivotal turnaround that shifted the entire momentum of the game.
Midway through the second quarter, Andre Louison knocked down four consecutive free throws to spark an 11-0 Blazers run, which Kyanni Elwyn capped off with a key basket that put Bonne Terre up 21-20. Though Sidney Didier tied the game at 21 with a single free throw, Andre and his brother Troy Louison each connected on late-second-quarter scores to push the Blazers’ lead to four heading into halftime, with Bonne Terre holding a 31-27 advantage at the break.
From halftime onward, the Blazers never surrendered their lead, locking in on defense to stifle the defending champions’ offense. Bonne Terre notched 28 second-half points while holding the Kings to just 15 total points after the break. In the fourth quarter, the Blazers sealed the win with red-hot three-point shooting: the squad finished the game with eight total three-pointers, two of which came from Andre Louison in the final frame, while the Kings managed only two long-range baskets across the entire 40 minutes of play.
Andre Louison earned well-deserved Player of the Game honors after posting a near-triple-double: he finished with 32 points, 14 rebounds, three assists and three steals, cementing his legacy as one of the league’s top players. His brother Troy turned in an impressive all-around performance of his own, contributing 14 points, six rebounds, four assists and six steals to the championship win.
For the defeated Soufrière Kings, Kimani Charles led the squad with 12 points, six rebounds, five assists and six steals, but was undone by a game-high nine turnovers that proved costly in the tight contest. Saltibus once again anchored the Kings’ interior, putting up 10 points and 14 rebounds, while Didier and Clayton William carried the team’s offensive production in the early going.
Parity defined the entire series, and the decisive third game was no exception. For the third consecutive matchup, the two teams finished with identical rebounding totals, 36 apiece, though Bonne Terre held a clear advantage on the offensive glass that generated extra scoring opportunities.
Three key statistical differences separated the winner from the loser on Saturday night. After a sloppy opening, the Blazers cleaned up their ball handling, finishing with 20 turnovers compared to the Kings’ 26 unforced errors. At the free throw line, both teams finished with nine made shots, but the Blazers converted 9 of 13 attempts (a 69% success rate) while the Kings only managed 9 makes from 16 trips to the line. Most impactful of all was the Blazers’ three-point shooting, which outpaced the Kings’ long-range production by a four-to-one margin.
This championship series went down as one of the most competitive in the past four years, producing a deserving champion in the Bonne Terre Blazers. For the Soufrière Kings, the defeat ends their bid for a third consecutive title, and the squad will almost certainly be gunning for revenge when the next season tips off. For the Saint Lucia Basketball Federation, three consecutive close, high-stakes, exciting games provided the perfect opportunity to grow the popularity of basketball across the island and draw new fans to the sport.