The preliminary stage of the Under-19 Secondary School Basketball Championship, hosted by the Department of Youth Development and Sports, drew to a close on Tuesday at the Beausejour Gymnasium in Saint Lucia, as two dominant blowout wins from Soufrière Comprehensive Secondary School (SCSS) and title-holding Sir Arthur Lewis Community College (SALCC) locked in the full lineup for the upcoming knockout quarterfinals.
In the decisive Group B finale, SCSS ran roughshod over Sir Ira Simmons Secondary School (SISSS) with a lopsided 94-20 triumph to top their group standings. Standout talent Curdin Jones matched his own single-game tournament scoring record with a staggering 61-point outing, paired with an overwhelming 39 rebounds to control every inch of the paint, alongside 10 steals and 2 assists. Aloysious William turned in a historic defensive masterclass, notching 23 steals to go with 14 points, while Trenton Henry posted a well-rounded stat line of 12 points, 12 steals and 7 rebounds. For SISSS, Jaden Gabriel topped his side’s performance with 12 points, 5 rebounds and 4 steals, and Tyrese St. Rose chipped in 6 points and 4 steals in the losing effort.
Defending champions SALCC kept their flawless group stage record intact with a commanding 60-23 defeat of Entrepôt Secondary School (ESS) to seal the top spot in Group A. The squad based in the Morne neighborhood seized control from the opening tip, building a 22-6 advantage after the first 10 minutes of play, and held ESS completely scoreless in the second quarter to carry a 25-6 lead into the halftime break. Nyel Joseph led the defending title holders with a game-high 26 points, supplemented by 6 steals and 4 assists. Nezan Lewis contributed 12 points, 7 rebounds, 5 steals and 4 assists, while Shaynne Edgar put up 9 points, 7 rebounds, 5 steals and 4 assists. ESS’s top performers included Terrance Alcee with 6 points and 2 steals, and Imani Gonzague who added 3 points.
The final scheduled group stage fixture ended in an official walkover victory for Vieux Fort Comprehensive Secondary, after their opponents Micoud Secondary failed to arrive at the venue for the match.
With all preliminary round action now finalized, the quarterfinal knockout phase is scheduled to tip off this Thursday at the Beausejour Gymnasium. The first matchup will see undefeated SALCC face off against Vieux Fort Comprehensive at 11:00 a.m., followed by a 12:00 noon clash between St Mary’s College and Entrepôt Secondary. SCSS will take on Beanefield Comprehensive at 1:00 p.m., before a highly anticipated heavyweight showdown between Leon Hess Comprehensive and Castries Comprehensive at 2:00 p.m. wraps up the day’s action, with the winners of all four fixtures advancing to the tournament’s final four round.