With a 102-68 victory over the British Virgin Islands on Sunday, the territory’s men’s basketball team left the Caribbean Senior Men’s Basketball Tournament in Tortola with a bronze medal and a weekend’s worth of experience to put toward their upcoming trip to the Centrobasket Men’s Championship in Mexico.
The U.S. Virgin Islands team was almost undefeated over the weekend, losing by only two points to Cuba in the semi-finals. The loss cost them the chance to appear in the championship game, but team coach Milton Barnes told various media outlets that he’s proud of his team’s effort and looks forward to seeing what they can do on the court in Mexico.
Cuba came in second place for the silver, and the Bahamas took the gold and first place.
Sunday’s game against the British Virgin Islands saw the BVI taking an early 17-14 lead as the USVI team kept its shots to the outside, but the tables soon switched and the U.S. Virgin Islands was able to improve its score with some full-court defense.
The BVI ended the first quarter with a 23-20 lead, but coming back in for the second, it was the USVI team that dominated. A dunk by LaRon Smith, followed by a layup on an in-bounds steal set the pace, while solid play by the USVI guards allowed the team to maintain a 44-37 lead at half.
The USVI team maintained its edge in the third quarter, even ending with a five-point run that put them up 72-54 leading into the fourth.
Coming out of the break, another six point run put the USVI team on top, ending the game at 102-68.
For the USVI team, Cuthbert Victor led all scorers with 20 points and five rebounds, while Devon Peltier finished with 17 points and Kevin Sheppard finished with 14 points.
For the BVI squad, Rashid Cann led with 19 points, folllowed by Kennedy Bass with 14 points and Halstead Chiverton with 11 points.
Other teams participating in the tournament included the Bahamas, Cuba, Antigua, Saint Vincent, Guyana and Barbados.
