The highly anticipated Under-16 Netball Tournament, organized by the Ministry of Youth Development and Sports, has entered its decisive knockout stage, with just four elite secondary school teams remaining in contention for the national title. The semifinal showdowns are scheduled to unfold next Wednesday at the Beausejour Gymnasium, where the two winning sides will secure their spots in the tournament’s final championship match.
The path to the semifinals saw dominant group stage performances from two standout sides: St Joseph’s Convent (SJC) and defending title holders Soufrière Comprehensive (SCSS), who both swept their respective groups to claim top seeding positions. Joining them in the final four are Castries Comprehensive Secondary School (CCSS) and Beanefield Comprehensive, who locked in the second-place qualification spots from Group A and Group B respectively.
In Group A, SJC put on a flawless, undefeated campaign, finishing top of the standings with a perfect 15 points from three matches and a staggering +53 goal difference. The team cemented their pole position with a tight 18-13 victory over CCSS, converting every single one of their 18 shot attempts during the fixture. Star goal shooter Xanaiia Emmanus led SJC’s offensive charge with a perfect 14 goals from 14 attempts, while supporting goal attacks Skai St Claire and Leyla Sylvester each chipped in 2 goals to round out the total.
CCSS, the Group A runners-up, finished with 10 points and a +40 goal differential, anchored by strong performances in the shooting circle from goal shooter Valencia Seraphin, who sunk 12 of her 16 attempts, and goal attack Luwander Antoine, who added 1 goal from 6 chances. Third place in Group A went to Leon Hess Comprehensive, who finished on 5 points after a narrow 11-10 win over Entrepot Secondary, who exited the tournament without earning a single point. Leon Hess’s scoring was split perfectly between goal shooter Alexi Philip, who converted all 7 of her shots, and goal attack Onyella Enebeli, who landed all 4 of her attempts. For Entrepot, goal shooter Azaria Leon scored 7 from 11 and goal attack Jahnii Charlery added 3 from 7.
Over in Group B, defending champions SCSS asserted complete dominance across the southern zone fixtures, finishing top of the table with a maximum 20 points from four matches and an outstanding +98 goal difference. One of their standout group stage results was a 28-13 triumph over Choiseul Secondary played at the Micoud Court, where Harriel William led SCSS with 15 goals from 23 attempts, Steffi Paul netted 9 from 19, and Kheryss Ferguson contributed 4 from 7. For Choiseul, Malia Isidore scored 10 from 15 and Kevlyn Fostin added 3 from 9.
Beanefield Comprehensive secured Group B’s second semifinal spot with 15 points, punching their ticket to the knockout rounds after a dominant 16-4 away win over hosts Micoud Secondary. Notably, Beanefield’s entire 16-goal output in that fixture came from goal shooter Jerannie Marquis, who converted 16 of her 24 attempts, while goal attack Annia St Ange was unable to register a goal from her 4 shot attempts. For Micoud, Sashaly Martyr scored 3 goals from 6 tries and Shanequa Jn Baptiste added 1 goal. Choiseul finished third in Group B with 10 points, ahead of Vieux Fort Comprehensive on 5 points, while winless Micoud Secondary rounded out the group standings in last place.
The November 11 semifinal lineup at the Beausejour Indoor Facility will kick off with a first match pitting Group A winners SJC against Group B runners-up Beanefield Comprehensive. Immediately following the conclusion of that fixture, the second semifinal will see defending champions and Group B top seeds SCSS go head-to-head with Group A runners-up CCSS, with the two victors moving on to compete for the tournament’s overall title.