Wednesday’s action-packed slate of Under-16 Netball Tournament fixtures unfolded across two venues in Saint Lucia, delivering standout individual performances and clear emerging hierarchies across competing groups as teams closed in on knockout stage qualification. Matches were split between the indoor Beausejour Gymnasium in the north of the island and the open-air Micoud Court in the southern region, yielding a string of decisive and tightly contested results that have reshaped the tournament’s early standings.
At the Beausejour Gymnasium, Group A frontrunners St Joseph’s Convent (SJC) capped off a flawless preliminary round run with a clinical 18-13 victory over Castries Comprehensive Secondary School (CCSS). The side put on a masterclass of attacking precision, converting every single one of their 18 shooting attempts across the full 60 minutes to lock in three consecutive wins and top the Group A table without dropping a single fixture. Leading the charge for SJC was star goal shooter Xanaiia Emmanus, who delivered a perfect 14-for-14 shooting performance, while supporting goal attacks Skai St Claire and Leyla Sylvester each chipped in with two goals to round out the unblemished attacking tally. For CCSS, goal shooter Valencia Seraphin fought valiantly to keep her team within touching distance, sinking 12 of her 16 attempts, but her side’s inconsistent finishing – with goal attack Luwander Antoine only converting 1 of 6 shots – ultimately left them unable to close the gap in the final quarter.
The second Group A fixture at the Beausejour venue served up a tense, low-scoring thriller, as Leon Hess Comprehensive Secondary School (LHCSS) edged out Entrepot Secondary (ESS) by a narrow 11-10 margin to claim their own strong position in the group standings. Mirroring SJC’s attacking accuracy on the day, LHCSS posted a 100% shooting success rate: goal shooter Alexi Philip landed all seven of her attempts, while goal attack Onyella Enebeli added four unchallenged goals to secure the one-point win. ESS stayed neck and neck with their opponents for the entire duration of the match, anchored by goal shooter Azaria Leon who scored seven goals from 11 attempts, and goal attack Jahnii Charlery who added three more from seven shots, but the side fell just short of a late equalizer as the final whistle blew.
Further south at the Micoud Court, defending tournament champions Soufrière Comprehensive Secondary School (SCSS) sent a clear statement of their title defense ambitions with a dominant 28-13 defeat of Choiseul Secondary. Harriel William topped the scoring charts across all Wednesday fixtures with 15 goals from 23 attempts, while teammates Steffi Paul added nine goals from 19 shots and Kheryss Ferguson contributed four more from seven outings to secure a comfortable win that pulled SCSS clear of mid-table sides in their group. Choiseul’s offense was led by Malia Isidore, who notched 10 goals from 15 attempts, and Kevlyn Fostin who added three more from nine shots, but the side could not keep pace with the defending champions’ fluid attacking movement.
The day’s final fixture saw Beanefield Comprehensive maintain their unbeaten run in the southern zone with a commanding 16-4 away victory over hosts Micoud Secondary. Jerannie Marquis put in a herculean performance to score all 16 of Beanefield’s goals, converting 16 of her 24 shooting attempts, even as her supporting goal attack Annia St Ange was unable to find the back of the net from four separate attempts. Micoud Secondary struggled to generate consistent offensive rhythm on their home court, with Sashaly Martyr scoring three goals from six attempts and Shanequa Jn Baptiste adding a single successful shot to register their side’s total of four goals.