As the fifth annual Aloysius “Loloy” Daniel Youth Basketball Tournament enters its final preliminary round matchday at Beausejour Gymnasium, Thursday’s slate of games delivered standout individual and team performances that have reshaped the tournament’s pre-knockout standings. The night was headlined by a historic individual scoring outburst from Antigua & Barbuda rising star Jayden Lewis, while three-time defending champions New Chapter Academy (NCA) Warriors of Trinidad & Tobago extended their undefeated streak, and the East Coast Academy (ECA) Lions bounced back from a prior loss to lock in their third win of the week.
Lewis turned in the most impressive individual performance of the tournament to date, pouring in a tournament-high 41 points to power the Antigua Pitbulls to a lopsided 118-51 victory over Guyana’s D-Up Academy. The young guard was not just a scoring threat: he rounded out his stat line with four steals, four assists, and three rebounds, dominating both ends of the floor from opening tip to final buzzer. Teammate Gabriel De Souza provided valuable secondary scoring, adding 17 points to the winning effort.
Even in the 67-point blowout defeat, D-Up Academy’s Kemal Pickering turned in a gritty, commendable performance, notching a double-double of 21 points and 17 rebounds. Teammate Aliandro Wickman joined Pickering in double-digit production, finishing the game with 13 points and 10 rebounds of his own.
In the first matchup of the day, the three-time defending champion NCA Warriors cemented their status as overwhelming title favorites, extending their perfect win record at the top of the tournament standings with a 123-29 rout of Basketball For The Future (BFTF) Pitbulls. The defending champions locked in their signature suffocating transition defense from the opening minute, forcing constant turnovers that translated into easy scoring opportunities on the other end of the floor. Zayden Charles led the charge for the Warriors with 19 points and seven steals, while playmaker Nhyim Pierre anchored the team’s offensive flow with 14 points and seven assists. For the outmatched BFTF Pitbulls, Hushan Simon led all scorers with eight points and added four rebounds.
The final game of the day featured an intrasquad local derby between the ECA Lions and ECA Tigers, where the Lions bounced back in dominant fashion from a narrow one-point defeat on Day 3 of the tournament. The Lions brushed aside their lower-ranked intrasquad opponents 113-26, led by Nyel Joseph’s all-around performance of 26 points, nine steals, and six rebounds. Forward Jabari Archibald notched a double-double of 18 points and 12 rebounds, and added four blocks to anchor the Lions’ defense. For the winless Tigers, Daelan Magloire led the team with eight points and seven rebounds, while David Chandler chipped in six points and seven boards.
With the preliminary round set to conclude on Friday, the tournament standings have taken a clear shape. The undefeated NCA Warriors (4-0, 8 points) sit comfortably atop the rankings, boasting an eye-popping plus-308 point differential that reflects their dominant run through group play. The ECA Lions and Antigua Pitbulls enter the final matchday tied for second place with matching 3-1 records and 7 points, with the Lions holding the advantage on point differential. D-Up Academy and the BFTF Pitbulls are tied at 1-3 with 5 points each, occupying fourth and fifth place respectively, while the ECA Tigers remain winless at 0-4 with 4 points heading into their final preliminary round matchup.