The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

TEAM Bahamas served notice to the remainder of the field and immediately staked their claim as a contender at the Caribbean Basketball Confederation Championships.

The Bahamas dominated from the opening tip to rout Antigua and Barbuda 109-71 in the tournament opener yesterday at the CBC Under-16 tournament hosted at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall in Georgetown, Guyana.

Domnick Bridgewater led the Bahamas with 16 points and six assists, both game highs.

He was one of seven Bahamian players in double figures, including Michael Carwright who added 10 points and 16 rebounds.

Detarrio Thompson finished with 14 points, Samuel Hunter added 12 points, while Joshua Cornish, Devonte Jennings and Christopher Johnson each finished with 11.

The Bahamas led 23-11 at the end of the first quarter and went up by 20 in the second quarter on a Cartwright putback to make the score 37-17.

The Bahamas led 50-31 at the half and 81-50 headed into the fourth.

They shot 43 per cent from the field and 57 per cent from beyond the three-point arch, but it was the effort on the defensive end which made the difference for the Bahamas.

They forced 40 turnovers, 25 of which came off steals. The Bahamas also rebounded Antigua and Barbuda 65-33, scored 26 fastbreak points, scored 82 points in the paint and 60 points off the bench.

In game two, the Bahamas will face the British Virgin Islands today at 1:15pm. BVI defeated Barbados in the opener for both teams yesterday,

The Bahamas is among a group of 10 teams for the boys’ championship. Group A includes the Bahamas, British Virgin Islands, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados and Dominica. Group B includes Aruba, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica and the hosts Guyana.

The top three teams, both men and women, earn berths to the CentroBasket Under-17 Championship where they compete for spots in the FIBA Americas Under-18 Cup, from which they can qualify for the FIBA Under-19 World Cup or the Youth Olympics.

Team Bahamas head coach Quinton Hall said one of the good things is that the coaching staff was able to bring players together from New Providence, Grand Bahama and Sal Salvador to make up the team.

“The guys are in great shape and they have been working very hard, so I anticipate that they will do excellent,” he said prior to the tournament. “We have a very good team. Of course, we know that basketball has grown since we last won this tournament when Michael Carey was on the team and Buddy Hield came off the bench. So we just have to be prepared for anything.”

Nigel Ingraham, one of the assistant coaches, indicated that the team assembled is a very balanced one.

“We can put the ball inside, we have good penetration, we could drive and kick it out to some great shooters and we have some good post players,” Ingraham said.

“So we have a good mixture of an in and outside game. We’re looking pretty good and I am confident that we can get the job done.”

The Bahamas has a rich history in the CBC Championship, particularly in the youth division. At the last CBC under-18 championships in 2008, hosted in Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas won both boys’ and girls’ titles.

That team was led by Donnathan Moss, Leon Cooper, Shavaro Bowleg and Jermaine Storr. They ultimately reached the FIBA Tournament of Americas before they were eliminated.