The opening round of the Dominica Amateur Basketball Association’s highly anticipated Premier Division championship series kicked off this week at the Massacre Indoor Sports Facility, delivering two days of high-stakes, tightly contested matchups that ended with opening-game wins for Possie Pacers and Dr. Darroux Falcons. Both winning squads overcame gritty challenges from their opponents to grab early series leads ahead of critical second games scheduled for August 20.
In the first marquee matchup of the championship opening, Possie Pacers faced off against West Coast Ballers in a game that stayed neck-and-neck through the first two quarters. The opening 10 minutes ended with all square at 25 points apiece, and neither side could pull away by the halftime break, with Possie Pacers holding onto a razor-thin 49–47 advantage heading into the locker room. The tide of the game shifted dramatically in the third quarter, however, when the Pacers unleashed a dominant, game-changing surge that put the matchup out of reach for the Ballers. Possie Pacers put up 28 points in the third frame while holding West Coast Ballers to just 9 points, turning a close contest into a comfortable double-digit victory that finished 88–69.
Tyler Roudette led all scorers for the Pacers with an impressive 28-point performance, getting solid supporting contributions from Troy Brookes (16 points), Nigel George (14 points) and Hunter McBride (12 points). For the defeated Ballers, Sherron Vidal put up a team-high 19 points, while Dean Vidal added 15 points in the losing effort.
The second opening night matchup between Dr. Darroux Falcons and 767 SC Dominators followed a much different narrative, but also ended with a narrow win for the Falcons, who held off a late second-half comeback to secure a 78–75 victory. The Falcons got out to a strong early start, building a steady cushion through the first two quarters: they held a 22–18 lead after the first quarter, and expanded their advantage to 10 points at halftime, leading 41–31. The Dominators came out of halftime reinvigorated, however, putting together a fierce second-half push to claw their way back into the game. They won the third quarter 23–17, cutting the Falcons’ lead down to just four points heading into the final frame. The Dominators kept the pressure high in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Falcons 21–20, but Dr. Darroux Falcons executed critical late-game minutes to protect their narrow advantage and hold on for the three-point win.
Edmond Williams led the Falcons’ scoring sheet with 16 points, followed by Yawani Regis (15 points), Karim Daniel (14 points) and Kijuan Thomas (13 points). Despite the loss, 767 SC Dominators got a career-outstanding performance from Shamar Felicite, who dropped 34 points, with Kelsey Guye chipping in an additional 14 points.
All attention now shifts to Game 2 of both championship series, scheduled for Thursday, August 20 at the same Massacre Indoor Sports Facility venue. The two losing squads — West Coast Ballers and 767 SC Dominators — will be desperate to even the series and avoid falling into an 0–2 hole that would make a championship run nearly impossible. West Coast Ballers will take the court first against Possie Pacers at 7:00 PM, followed by the rematch between Dr. Darroux Falcons and 767 SC Dominators at 9:00 PM. The Pacers and Falcons will enter the second matchup looking to extend their early series leads and move one step closer to claiming the 2026 DABA championship title.