分类： sports

MANCHESTER, Jamaica — The International Inter-Secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA) Rural Area Under-16 boys’ basketball championship will reach its dramatic conclusion on Tuesday afternoon in a winner-take-all third game. Defending champions Manchester High will host Herbert Morrison Technical at 1:00 pm in the final matchup of their best-of-three series.

The championship series stands tied after both teams secured decisive victories on their home courts. Herbert Morrison Technical initially seized the advantage with a commanding 57-36 victory in Montego Bay. However, Manchester High responded emphatically on Friday, defending their home court with a 56-45 triumph to force the decisive third game.

Manchester High’s comeback victory was spearheaded by an exceptional performance from Jayquan Palmer, who delivered a remarkable double-double with 17 points and 22 rebounds while adding six steals to his stat line. Teammate Wasim Windett emerged as the game’s top scorer with 21 points and five steals. The hosts established early dominance, leading 15-8 after the first quarter and maintaining control throughout the game with scores of 28-19 at halftime and 39-29 after three quarters.

For Herbert Morrison Technical, Tyler Linton and Shamar Russell provided the offensive spark with 10 and 11 points respectively. The series opener had seen Herbert Morrison overcome a slow start, trailing 8-5 after the first quarter before unleashing a spectacular 52-28 scoring run across the final three quarters. Linton led that effort with 15 points, supported by Antonio Kerr’s 13 points, while Palmer had contributed 14 points and 11 rebounds in the losing effort for Manchester High.

Jamaican sports leader Christopher Samuda has proclaimed a transformative vision for the Montego Bay Sports Complex, positioning it as a future epicenter for athletic excellence accessible to both able-bodied and disabled competitors. The president of both the Jamaica Paralympic Association and Jamaica Olympic Association articulated his ambitious blueprint during a special church service at Family Church on the Rock in St James, held in recognition of International Paralympic Day.

Samuda’s address framed the Catherine Hall facility as destined to become ‘the Mecca of sporting events, the earthenware of sporting aspirations, and the rock of sporting prowess.’ He emphasized the venue’s potential to serve as a gathering place where athletes of all abilities could collectively pursue their dreams with shared conviction and faith.

The vision gains tangible momentum through a recently formalized memorandum of understanding between the St James Municipal Council and Montego Bay Multi Sports Development Limited, led by Yoni Epstein. This partnership assumes particular significance following the substantial damage inflicted by Hurricane Melissa in October, which necessitated millions of dollars in repairs after the private consortium assumed operational control on March 1.

Samuda highlighted the western region’s proven track record of developing Paralympic champions, noting that these athletes ‘wear a crown of faith on their heads’ that transcends conventional medals and records. He positioned sports development as both a spiritual journey and a practical necessity, declaring that ‘the west has always been an important shareholder of sport’ deserving of infrastructure investments that will benefit current and future generations.

The sports executive concluded with a rallying cry for community support, describing the complex as ‘the capital and currency of Montegonians’ despite its private funding origins, embodying national pride through Jamaica’s black, green, and gold colors.

KINGSTON, Jamaica — A contingent of twenty-two Jamaican track and field athletes is gearing up for individual competitions at this weekend’s NCAA Division 1 and Division 2 Indoor Championships, marking the conclusive event of the collegiate indoor season. The championships will unfold simultaneously across two venues from March 13-14.

Seventeen competitors will represent Jamaican athletics at the Division 1 meet, hosted at the University of Arkansas’ Randal Tyson Track Center. Simultaneously, five athletes will demonstrate their prowess at the Division 2 Championships in Virginia Beach.

Clemson’s Shantae Foreman, who currently leads the NCAA women’s triple jump rankings, and University of Oregon’s Kobe Lawrence, the second-ranked men’s shot putter nationally, headline Jamaica’s Division 1 participants. Foreman enters the competition with impressive momentum following her third consecutive Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) title victory two weeks prior, where she is anticipated to face strong competition from Nebraska’s Rhianna Phipps.

Lawrence arrives with a season-best throw of 20.16 meters, having broken the University of Oregon’s program record multiple times this season. However, the athlete seeks redemption after a surprising sixth-place finish at the Big Ten Conference championships.

Florida State’s Shenese Walker, fresh from securing ACC double victories in both the 60m and 200m events, stands as Jamaica’s sole representative in the women’s 60m dash. The 200m event will feature Gabrielle Mathews (University of Florida) and Carleta Bernard (University of Texas).

University of Georgia teammates Dejanea Oakley and Shaquena Foote will compete in the women’s 400m, with Foote particularly motivated to overcome her recent disqualification at the South-eastern Conference championships.

Jamaican talent dominates the women’s 60m hurdles event with three strong contenders: Clemson’s Oneka Wilson, who made history as the first woman to win four consecutive ACC titles; Auburn’s Danae Nembhard; and Texas Tech’s Big 12 champion Tonie-Ann Forbes.

Texas A&M University’s Machaeda Linton will represent Jamaica in the women’s long jump competition.

In men’s events, Arkansas teammates Rivaldo Marshall and Tyrice Taylor will compete in the 800m race, while fellow Razorbacks Jerome Campbell and Vashaun Vascianna join Baylor University’s Demario Prince in the men’s 60m hurdles.

At the Division 2 level, Onieka Brissett of Texas A&M University-Kingsville achieved qualification in both the 200m and 400m events. She will be joined by Patreece Clarke of New Mexico Highlands in the women’s 60m hurdles.

Lincoln University’s Brandon Harris enters the men’s 60m hurdles, while teammate Malik Drummond prepares for the triple jump competition. Tusculum University’s Lansford Cunningham arrives with the third-ranked position nationally in the men’s long jump.

Jamaica’s athletics future appears exceptionally bright following the conclusion of the Carifta Games Trials, an event hailed as ‘superb’ by Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA) President Garth Gayle. The trials, held at the National Stadium, produced several world-leading performances that suggest Jamaica will maintain its decades-long dominance at the upcoming regional championships in Grenada.

Gayle expressed particular pride in the country’s coaching system, stating, ‘Our coaches continue to excel and demonstrate they rank among the world’s finest. The JAAA is profoundly grateful for their dedication in preparing these exceptional athletes.’

The standout performance came from 18-year-old Shanoya Douglas of Holland High, who delivered eye-opening sprints in both the Under-20 Girls’ 100m and 200m events. Her 100m time of 11.06 seconds currently leads the global senior rankings, while her 200m clocking of 22.58 seconds ranks fifth worldwide among seniors and first in her age category.

Equally impressive were the male sprinters, with Excelsior High’s Requilme Reid clocking 10.16 seconds in the Under-20 Boys’ 100m, placing him second globally in his age group behind Australia’s Gout Gout (10.00). Sanjay Seymore followed closely with a personal best of 10.20 seconds before claiming victory in the 200m.

Field events demonstrated equal excellence, with Jamaica College’s Michael-Andre Edwards achieving a double victory in the long jump (7.36m) and triple jump (15.78m). His triple jump performance places him joint-ninth globally, though his season’s best of 15.86m (achieved February 21) ranks sixth worldwide.

The technical events also shone brightly, exemplified by St. Jago High’s Ramario Jibbison and Marquies Page securing a one-two finish in the Under-20 Boys’ 110m hurdles with times of 13.37 and 13.60 seconds respectively.

With such comprehensive success across track and field events, Jamaica anticipates extending its remarkable streak as Carifta Games medal table leaders—a position maintained every year since 1985, interrupted only five times throughout the championship’s 52-year history. The team now looks to surpass last year’s haul of 78 medals (30 gold, 27 silver, 21 bronze) at the Grenada championships.