The East Coast Academy (ECA) Lions lost their first game of the fifth annual Aloysius “Loloy” Daniel Youth Basketball Tournament on Wednesday evening at Beausejour Gymnasium, falling 68-65 to the Antigua & Barbuda Pitbulls.
The New Chapter Academy (NCA) Warriors, who have won the last three tournaments, also earned their third straight win. D-Up also celebrated their first victory.
Day 3 ended with a dramatic finish. The Antiguans led by as many as six points in the final frame, but the Lions fought back to tie the game at 65 with just seconds remaining on the clock.
The Lions rebounded what should have been the final shot, but attempted to dribble the ball out of the backcourt with just six seconds left. The Antiguans got the steal and a buzzer-beating bucket with a trip to the line.
The Pitbulls set the early pace, capitalising on quick transition buckets to race out to a 23-12 lead in the opening quarter. The Lions answered in the second, going on a 21-10 run to tie the game at 33 by halftime.
The Antiguans took back a five-point lead heading into the fourth quarter, up 52-47, setting up a tense ending.
Gabriel De Souza led the Pitbulls with 25 points and four rebounds, while Yohhan Nicholas added 13 points and six rebounds. For the Lions, Nezan Lewis had a big game with 21 points and 15 rebounds. Sage Lewis scored 17, and Nyel Joseph added 15.
In the first game of the day, Trinidad & Tobago’s Warriors stayed unbeaten, beating the ECA Tigers 124-31. Josiah John led the Warriors with 31 points, 10 steals, and seven rebounds. Zion Roberts had 18 points and 11 steals, and Zaiden Charles scored 17. For the Tigers, Rushan Williams finished with 12 points and five rebounds.
Guyana’s D-Up Academy got their first win with a 71-30 victory over Basketball For The Future (BFTF) Pitbulls. Aliandro Wickman led D-Up with 22 points and seven rebounds, and Eli Archer added 18 points and seven rebounds. For BFTF, Azem Edward stood out with 13 points and 11 rebounds.
Unbeaten NCA Warriors (3-0, 6 points) sit clear atop the standings with a +214 scoring differential. The ECA Lions (2-1, 5 points) and Antigua Pitbulls (2-1, 5 points) share second spot, with the Lions retaining the edge on total points difference. D-Up Academy (1-2, 4 points) and BFTF Pitbulls (1-2, 4 points) are fourth and fifth, respectively, while the winless ECA Tigers (0-3, 3 points) complete the table.
