Dean Greenaway Detailed Report: “St. Kitts and Nevis Win Inaugural ANOECS 3V3 Tournament In The BVI
Source: Erasmus FB
BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS — St. Kitts and Nevis used an up-tempo game to defeat St. Vincent and the Grenadines 20–15, claiming the inaugural Association of National Olympic Committees of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (ANOECS) Under-23 Men’s 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament title on Sunday afternoon at the Multipurpose Sports Complex in Tortola.
Here is sports reporter Dean Greenaway’s detailed report, as published in the Virgin Islands Daily News:
J’aven Osbourne led St. Kitts and Nevis with a game-high 12 points, helping to break open a title game that had been tied at 8-all. Osbourne also led the tournament in scoring with a total of 43 points.
Marrol Sam was St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ leading scorer with seven points in the championship game and finished the tournament with 17 points. Renson Dublin added six points on Sunday, ending the tournament with 20.
“In the game, we analyzed the players and were able to make adjustments accordingly and develop plays along the way,” St. Kitts and Nevis head coach Sheldon Chiverton Blake told The Daily News.
“We beat them in the round robin, so we were familiar with how they play. We kept observing how they adjusted their strategies. As you saw, after a while, they became exhausted trying to keep up with our team. They tried a different approach, then reverted to what they knew. They attempted two-point shots, but they weren’t falling, and we ultimately overpowered them.”
Blake described the victory as a “stepping stone” toward greater achievements and a confidence booster for the young players.
“We practice three times a week,” he said. “We have a development squad of about 10–12 players, and we want to travel to more tournaments to get St. Kitts out there. We’re a small island, and we want to put St. Kitts on the map for basketball.”
St. Vincent and the Grenadines head coach Vasha Adams—the only female coach in the tournament and a former national team player—told her squad it was up to them to fight for what they wanted.
“They did, but St. Kitts wanted it more,” she said. “They needed to recognize that the big man from St. Kitts (Osbourne) was getting too many easy shots. He attacked the lane freely, but they needed to stop him there, and that’s what we failed to do.”
St. Kitts and Nevis opened the tournament on Saturday by dominating Dominica 21–11, followed by a 21–8 victory over St. Vincent and the Grenadines. They then defeated the British Virgin Islands 21–10 in their final round-robin match to secure a place in the final.
After their opening loss to St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadines rebounded by overcoming a three-point deficit to hand Dominica its second loss, 14–12. They then defeated Grenada 18–12 to advance to the final.
The British Virgin Islands avenged an earlier 21–14 loss to Grenada with a 17–13 victory to claim the bronze medal. The BVI secured their semifinal spot with a 21–14 win over St. Lucia, while Grenada advanced with a 20–16 victory over St. Lucia.
Lekoy Lennard led the BVI with eight points, finishing the tournament with 18 overall. Javel Bartholomew topped Grenada’s scoring with six points and ended the tournament with 16. Grenada’s Michael Ceckley, the second-highest scorer overall with 21 points, was limited to just two points in the final outing.
“The changes we made were staying disciplined, playing strong defense as we know how, and being more physical,” British Virgin Islands player Amarlee Glasgow, who finished the tournament with 20 points, told The Daily News.
“I realized that as the leader, my team follows me, so I tried to lead by example—playing solid defense. They followed, and everything just fell into place. The players worked hard.”
Dominica defeated St. Lucia 16–14 in the tournament’s fifth-place game.