The Soufrière Kings and Bonne Terre Blazers will face off once again to determine the 2026 KFC National Basketball League champions Kings are going for their third title in succession, while Blazers won in 2023, when the tournament returned after a five-year hiatus.
The returning finalists prevailed in best-of-three semifinals on Friday night at the Beausejour Gymnasium. Kings beat Morne Gladiators in a replay of the 2024 finals. Blazers won their fourth straight over Courts Jets this season.
Kings beat Gladiators 76-63, taking firm control after a contentious opening quarter and leading by as many as 20 points in the final 10 minutes.
The key to the game was ball security, as the Kings had five players recording four steals or more, for a total of 23, as opposed to just 16 turnovers. Conversely, Gladiators coughed up the rock 29 times and had just 10 steals.
Sydney Didier stuffed the stat sheets with 23 points, five rebounds, five steals, and three assists for Soufrière. Jayzee Saltibus shrugged off an early ankle problem to tally 12 points, 11 rebounds, and four steals. Kimani Charles just missed out on a double-double, as he had 10 points, nine assists, four rebounds, and four steals.
Keegan Preville and Shamoir Jn Baptiste combined for 31 points for Gladiators. Preville also had 10 rebounds, while Cletuson Leon led with 12.
The Blazers-Jets game was another tight affair, with last year’s losing finalists eventually prevailing 65-63. Andre Louison led the way with 18 points, 10 rebounds, seven steals, and three assists. Troy Louison had 20 points and nine rebounds; Orin Thomas had four points and 10 rebounds.
The Blazers dominated the offensive glass, did a much better job taking care of the ball, and built a strong buffer after the first three quarters, through which they led by as many as 12 points. Ryan Philogene had 20 points and seven steals for the Jets.
