02102025 SPORTS by tribune242

SECTION E MONDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2025

Pickleball: Bringing home the medals

By BRENT STUBBS Chief Sports Editor bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

The Bahamas Pickleball Federation’s 19-member national team, competing at the Caribbean Nations Cup, turned in a superb performance, winning a total of 13 medals in the open division and the 50-and-over divisions.

The event was staged at the Pickleball Cayman in Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands over the weekend. It wrapped up on Thursday with the over-50 team winning the silver in their loss to the Cayman Islands.

The under-50 team didn’t qualify, missing the semiﬁnals by one point.

The Bahamas will return home with seven gold, ﬁve silver and a bronze, leaving Kevaughn Ferguson - one of the team leaders - singing the praise of the entire contingent.

“Overall, the team was so excited over the outcome of the tournament,”

said Ferguson, a coach out of Harbour Island who, along with Brazile Ferguson at Albany and Justyn Thompson at Baha Mar, served as coaches.

“We felt they really excelled in this tournament. This is only the second time the Bahamas has travelled for an event in pickleball, so we exceeded our expectations.”

the team’s performances 50-plus Gold - men’s doublesLindsay Brown and Robert Grifﬁn.

Gold - men’s singlesLindsay Brown. Silver - mixed doublesLindsay Brown and Kerry Pryor.

Silver - women’s singlesKerry Pryor.

Silver - men’s singlesMatthew Pryor. Gold - mixed doublesRobert Grifﬁn and Paige Taylor.

Gold - women’s doubles - Kerry Pryor and Sandra Masterman. Open under-50

Gold - men’s doubles

- Justyn Thompson and Brezile Hamilton.

Gold - men’s doublesKevaughn Ferguson and Sean Fitzpatrick.

Gold - mixed doubles

- Brezile Hamilton and Sandra Masterman. Silver- mixed doublesKevaughn Ferguson and Tricia Fernandes.

Bronze - mixed doubles - Justyn Thompson and Sandra Masterman.

Silver - men’s singlesSean Fitzpatrick. Pickleball, which was invented in 1965 on Bainbridge Island, Washington by Joel Pritchard, Barney McCallum and Bill Bell, is a hybrid sport that combines elements of tennis,

badminton and table tennis. It is America’s fastestgrowing sport that is now catching on in the Bahamas. The federation is headed by Kelly Ann Meade, the president, with Erika Knowles as vice president, Kim Kooskalis as treasurer and Sandra Masterman as secretary.

‘Baby Slice’ has successful boxing debut

By BRENT STUBBS Chief Sports Editor bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

KEVIN ‘Baby Slice’ Ferguson Jr’s debut home in the footsteps of his deceased father Kevin ‘Kimbo Slice’ Ferguson Sr was over before he got started in the ﬁrst round against Hazel ‘the Latin Lover’ Roche on Saturday night at the Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium.

With his family members from Step Street, Fox Hill, in attendance cheering for him, Kimbo Slice Jr unleased two flurries on Roche, the last tanging him in the ring as he wobbled. Roche trapped on his right foot and had to seek medical care as the fight was called off with eight seconds left. The fight was the only one not to go the distance as Real Housewives star Juicy Joe Giudice

out-punched TV star and model Ojani Noa in the Xrumble celebrity Boxing three-round one-minute each main event.

THE SPORTS CALENDAR

TRACK DLT TRACK CLASSIC THE Roadrunners Track and Field Club is scheduled to hold its 19th annual Diana Lynn Thompson Track Classic at the original Thomas A. Robinson Track and Field Stadium on Saturday, February 15. For more information, contact club president and head coach Dexter Bodie at 434-7706 or 477-1198.

CYCLING NPCA ACTION

During the month of February, the New Providence Cycling Association will hold two separate events, Saturday, February 15 - Cycling Clinic at the Queen Elizabeth Sprots Centre, eastern parking lot next to the Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium. The event will run from 9-11 am. Refreshments will be provided. Sunday, February 23 - King of the Hills Cycling Championships, starting 8:30am on Fort Charlotte Hill. The winner will be crowned the King of the Hills for 2025. Registration forms for this event can be picked up from the Cycles Bike Store or contact the NPCA. The categories include elite men, open women, under-23. male/female, masters’ male over 40 years, masters’ male over 55 years, 15-17 boys and girls, 12-014 boys and girls and 9-11 boys and girls. SOFTBALL BBSF SEASON THE Bahamas Baptist Sports Federation will now start its ﬁrst team competition for 2025 with its co-ed slow-pitch softball season on

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By BRENT STUBBS Chief Sports Editor

GRAND Bahamian Lamarr Williams pulled off a double dose of men’s sprint victories at the National Chistian College Athletic Assocation (NCCAA) Indoor Championships to highlight a list of Bahamians, including Olympians Devynne Charlton, Denisha Cartwright and Antoine Andrews, competing at various meets around the United States over the weekend.

Williams, representing Bethel University, won the 60 metres at the championships at the Doden Fieldhouse in Cedarville, Ohio, winning the event in 6.84 seconds and he came through with the fastest qualifying time of 6.81 in the preliminaries. He came back and earned the title in the 200m in 22.29 for All-American honours in both events. Just last month, Williams lowered the Pilots’ school record in the 60m with his time of 6.76 at the Bob Eubanks Open at the Grand Vallet State University in Allendale, Michigan, to qualify for the Nationals. The previous record of 6.80 was held by recent Al Beutler Hall of Fame inductee Tommy

CHERYL MARIA TURNQUEST LAID TO REST

By BRENT STUBBS Chief Sports Editor bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

MEMBERS of the women’s national softball team, who ﬁnished third at the World Games in 1981 in San Jose, California, showed up to pay their last respects to their team-mate - the late Cheryl Maria Turnquest. Turnquest, 76, was funeralised on Friday at St Francis Xavier Cathedral in a service ofﬁciated by Father Junior Calixte before she was laid to rest in Woodlawn

Gardens. She left behind three children, Alexis (Warren) Cartwright and brothers Erin (Donna) and Jayson (Dr Kitiboni) who played softball and baseball. A host of other family members and friends were in attendance, including the women’s national team, which included Turnquest, were all honoured during the Bahamas Softball Federation’s Hall of Fame induction ceremony at Government House last month. Oria Wood-Knowles said when they were inducted,

Turnquest was thrilled to be around her former team-mates.

“She was happy to see the team come back and her friends in softball all in one place again,” WoodKnowles said. “She enjoyed this group. She’s sometimes the ﬁrst one to come on in the morning in the group and make a prayer.

“We came together since we ﬁrst came together in November when the initial activities got started before

ERIN Adderley (white shirt) poses with members of the women’s national softball team, led by manager

Bobby Baylor Fernander (left) and coach Ali C.

The show, promoted by Brandit Sean and carried live on Triller TV powered by FITE, also featured three preliminary matches

between boxers from promoter Ronn Rodgers’ Strikers Boxing Club. Kimbo Slice Jr, in memory of Kimbo Slice,

the popular mixed martial artist and professional boxer who died on June 6,

TEAM BAHAMAS, waving their national ﬂags, celebrate on the medal dais with a gold, silver and bronze at the Pickleball Nations Cup in the Cayman Islands over the weekend.

KEVIN ‘Baby Slice’ Ferguson Jr shares a moment with his family after his ﬁrst round TKO.

Eagles deny Chiefs Super Bowl 3-peat with dominant defence in 40-22 rout

By ROB MAADDI AP Pro Football Writer

NEW ORLEANS (AP)

— Cooper DeJean, Josh Sweat and the Philadelphia Eagles’ ferocious defence denied Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs a Super Bowl three-peat.

It wasn’t even close.

DeJean got a pick-6 on his 22nd birthday, Sweat tormented Mahomes and the Eagles routed the Chiefs 40-22 yesterday to secure the franchise’s second Super Bowl championship.

Jalen Hurts threw for two touchdowns and ran for a score on a tush push, and Vic Fangio’s defence was so dominant that the Eagles didn’t need much from Saquon Barkley.

The game-changing running back ﬁnished with 57 yards, breaking Terrell Davis’ record for yards rushing in a season, playoffs included. Hurts threw for 221 yards.

“This is the ultimate team game. You can’t be great without the greatness of others. Great performance by everybody — offence, defence, special teams,” coach Nick Sirianni said. “We didn’t really ever care what anyone thought about how we won, or their opinions. All we want to do is win.”

With Donald Trump becoming the ﬁrst president in ofﬁce to attend a Super Bowl, the Eagles outplayed Kansas City in every facet, delighting a raucous pro-Philly crowd that celebrated each score with a familiar rendition of “Fly! Eagles! Fly!”

Even Taylor Swift’s presence couldn’t help the Chiefs. They lost for the ﬁrst time in 10 games this season with the pop superstar in a suite watching boyfriend Travis Kelce,

who didn’t catch a pass until late in the third quarter. Not in Kansas City’s worst nightmares could its fans have imagined such a lacklustre performance. The Chiefs had won three of the previous ﬁve Super Bowls, losing 31-9 to Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers four years ago. Mahomes was 8-0 against Fangio’s defences before the longtime coordinator and former Broncos head coach outcoached Andy Reid, capping his ﬁrst season with his hometown team. Reid fell to 3-3 in Super Bowls, including a loss with the Eagles.

The Eagles sacked Mahomes six times, the most of his career, including 2 1/2 by Sweat. And they did it without Fangio calling a single blitz.

TRACK RED-LINE ATHLETES’ FIELD EVENT CLASSIC

Saturday, February 22, at the Charles W Saunders High School, Jean Street. Teams have until Saturday, February 15, to register. The registration fee is $200 per team. Interested teams are urged to contact tournament director Thomas Sears at 424-2888 or federation president Brent Stubbs at 426-7265.

THE Red-Line Athletics Track Club has announced plans to host its second annual Field Event Classic. The country’s all ﬁeld events only meet is scheduled for Saturday, February 22 at the original Thomas A Robinson Track and Field Stadium.

The event is set to take place from 9am to 3pm and will be open to competitors from the under-11 to open

“Defence wins championships,” Hurts said. “We saw how they played today. We saw the difference they made in the game. They gave us opportunities, gave us short ﬁelds. And we’re able to do what we do.” Barkley, the 2024 AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year, only had 31 yards rushing in the ﬁrst half when Philly built a 24-0 lead.

The Chiefs were aiming to become the third team in NFL history to win three straight championships and the ﬁrst to three-peat in the Super Bowl era.

Hurts nearly led the Eagles to victory against the Chiefs two years ago in Arizona, but Mahomes led a comeback and Harrison Butker kicked the game-winning ﬁeld goal in

categories for men and women.

All winners will receive crystals and the top three will earn medals. Athletes can register at redlineathletics242@gmail.com or smnbutler@yahoo.com

TRACK

NPA TRACK CLASSIC

THE Noble Preparatory Academy is all set to hold its 2025 Track and Field Classic on Saturday, March 15 at the original Thomas A. Robinson Track and Field Stadium from 9am to 6pm. The registration deadline is March 11. Athletes can register at info@npabahamas.com

ROAD RACE

UNCLE LOU FUN

RUN/WALK THE St Augustine’s College and the Alumni Association is inviting the general public to come out and participate in the Uncle Lou Fun Run/Walk.

Under the theme: “Paint the streets red,” the event will take place on Saturday, March 15, starting 6am at SAC’s campus off Bernard Road.

The route will leave SAC’s campus and head on Bernard Road, turn onto Soldier Road to Prince Charles Drive, turn east onto Prince Charles Drive and head back to SAC.

the ﬁnal minute for a 38-35 victory. Mahomes rallied Kansas City to an overtime victory over San Francisco last year for the Chiefs’ second straight title.

This time, a revamped Philly defence featuring eight new starters from the 2022 team made sure Mahomes had no chance to pull off his magic.

Sirianni, who mocked fans chanting “Fire Nick!” during a victory over Cleveland in October and was called a “clown” on national television, should ﬁnally silence critics by adding a championship ring to a résumé that includes the ﬁfth-best winning percentage in league history.

Sirianni was showered with Gatorade with nearly three minutes left in the game while backup QB

The registration fee is $20 for adults and $10 for persons under the age of 20. The ﬁrst 200 participants will receive road race t-shirts.

Persons can register now by logging onto www.saintaugustinescollege.com

Following the race, a health screening will take place. There will also be a souse out with chicken priced at $10, pig feet at $12 and sheep tongue at $15. Drinks will also be on sale.

For more information, persons can call 242-324-1511or email Thesacalumni@gmail.com

SPECIAL OLYMPICS

BAHAMAS

OPEN HOUSE

SPECIAL Olympics

Bahamas is preparing to hold their open house on Dolphin Drive on February 11, 18 and 25 and everyone is invited to attend any session.

Every Tuesday during the month of February, 2025 between the hours of 10am and 3pm, Special Olympics is iinviting the general public along with family and friends to visit our ofﬁce at #24 Dolphin Drive to view our Wall of Fame.

While there, they are asking for guests to sign their Visitor’s Register and leave a phone contact for

Kenny Pickett took snaps in mop-up duty. Barkley helped push Hurts into the end zone from the 1 to give Philadelphia a 7-0 lead in the first quarter. Up 10-0 after Jake Elliott’s 48-yard field goal, Sweat and Jalyx Hunt sacked Mahomes on consecutive plays. Mahomes then rolled out and made an errant throw that was picked by DeJean, who returned it 38 yards for a 17-0 lead. It was Mahomes’ first pick-6 in 21 career playoff games and ended a streak of 297 straight passes without an interception.

All-Pro linebacker Zack Baun picked Mahomes again late in the second quarter, and Hurts connected with A.J. Brown

an opportunity to receive one of their “Special” Red Balls. “Shake hands with our athletes and chat with one of our stars,” said a press release. “Join the Inclusion Revolution today.”

Donations of any amount are welcomed and appreciated during the open house dates.

RUGBY GAMES AT WINTON

AFTER making some minor repairs to the Winton rugby pitch, the Bahamas Rugby Union is scheduled to play matches on Saturday, February 22, Saturday, March 8 and Saturday, March 22. All ages and all abilities are welcome, including men and women, ‘Golden Oldies’ teams and beginners and seasoned players. The BRU is also inviting persons to come and try rugby this year. The only equipment needed are tennis/cleats and PE kit. For further information, persons are urged to call (242) 812-0417.

BASKETBALLL

BSAA

ACTION THE Bahamas Scholastic Athletic Association continued its basketball regular season on Friday at The Hope Center located

on a 12-yard TD pass for a 24-0 lead. Hurts threw a perfect 46-yard TD pass to DeVonta Smith to make it 34-0 late in the third.

Mahomes fired a 24-yard TD pass to Xavier Worthy to avoid the shutout, but the 2-point conversion failed. He threw two late, mostly meaningless TD passes, one to DeAndre Hopkins and another to Worthy. After two weeks of discussions about questionable calls that led to public perception that officials favour the Chiefs — a theory NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell called “ridiculous” — the first penalty of the game only fuelled critics.

A 32-yard pass from Hurts to Brown to the Chiefs 18 on fourth-and-2 was negated by a penalty for offensive pass interference. Brady, now a Fox analyst, and officiating analyst Mike Pereira both disagreed with the call, although Brown shoved Trent McDuffie’s facemask. On the next possession, the Eagles benefited from an unnecessary roughness penalty on McDuffie against Dallas Goedert following an incomplete pass on third-and-5.

Hurts then connected with Jahan Dotson on a 27-yard pass to the 1 and scored on the next play.

Hurts’ streak of 217 passes without a pick ended in the ﬁrst half when he was intercepted deep in Kansas City territory, but the Chiefs didn’t capitalise.

The Green Bay Packers are the only NFL team to win three championships in a row, doing it from 1929-31 and 1965-67.

The NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers from 2000-02, led by Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neill, are the last team in the major American professional leagues to win three straight titles.

University Commons and Bahama Games Blvd.

Here’s a look at the results posted: Mini Division Kingsway Academy def Queen’s College 13-9: Game MVP were Ralph Saintil and Logan Knowles from Kingsway Academy with ﬁve points each. Wardell Cox led QC with six points.

Primary Boys Teleos Christian School Queen’s College 8-B

Junior Boys Greenville Preparatory Academy def. Genesis Academy 37-34: Game MVP was Theo Bethel fr0m Greenville Academy with 20 points, three rebounds and two steals. Hayden Seymour led Genesis with 17 points, seven rebounds and an assist.

Intermediate

EAGLES defensive back Cooper DeJean (33) celebrate his touchdown with safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson (8) after an interception against the Kansas City Chiefs during the ﬁrst half. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

KANSAS City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) and running back Kareem Hunt (29) walk off the ﬁeld at the halftime break. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

THE PHILADELPHIA Eagles celebrate with the Vince Lombardi Trophy after their win against the Kansas City Chiefs in the NFL Super Bowl 59 football game last night in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

GSSSA Basketball: Championship games all set to begin on Tuesday

By TENAJH SWEETING Tribune Sports Reporter tsweeting@tribunemedia.net

THE Government Secondary Schools Sports Association (GSSSA) senior division championships will feature four familiar foes starting on Tuesday at the Kendal GL Isaacs Gymnasium.

Four teams advanced out of the sudden death playoffs on Friday at the AF Adderley Gymnasium for a chance at hoisting a championship trophy to wrap up the season.

The pennant-winning CI Gibson Rattlers comfortably defeated the fourth seeded RM Bailey Pacers 29-24 in the senior girls’ matchup to make their return to the ﬁnals.

In a rematch of last year’s ﬁnals, the CV Bethel Stingrays once again prevailed against the CR Walker Knights 49-32 to once again move on to the championship round.

The Anatol Rodgers Timberwolves had to edge out the CC Sweeting Cobras 50-49 in the senior boys’ matchup.

The CI Gibson Rattlers, the senior boys’ defending champions, eliminated the fourth seeded RM Bailey Pacers 60-36 to continue their quest for their fourth straight title.

Senior Girls

CI Gibson Rattlers vs RM Bailey Pacers

The Rattlers were pushed to the brink by the Pacers but a gutsy performance in the fourth quarter was the difference maker between both teams in crunch time.

CI Gibson head coach

Kevin ‘KJ’ Johnson said it felt good to return to the ﬁnals after being eliminated early last season.

“It feels really good. Thank God that we were able to defeat RM Bailey. Hats off to them they are a very good team, they have improved and they are working extremely well down there. They got better and it was a hardfought ﬁght but I think we were just a little better and more conditioned down the stretch and we were able to score some easy baskets to pull away,” he said.

The score was knotted at 15 apiece at the end of the ﬁrst half but the Pacers managed to secure a threepoint lead (21-18) going into the fourth.

The Rattlers took the lead by one (22-21) at the 4:07 mark following a twopointer by Vonnisha Rolle.

RM Bailey trimmed the Rattlers’ deﬁcit to just four (27-23) after Kenisha Cadron nailed a jumper.

Unfortunately, the team was unable to regain their footing in the contest and were outscored 11-3 in the ﬁnal period.

CI Gibson’s Daranique Mackey led all scorers with 15 points in the victory.

The Pacers got a teamhigh 10 points from Cadron.

Coach Johnson outlined his strategy for their ﬁnals opponent - the CV Bethel Stingrays.

“We have to go back to the drawing board and look back at all the mistakes we made and try to improve on them. We have to make free throws and layups. If not, it is gonna be a very long championship,” he said.

CV Bethel Stingrays vs CR Walker Knights

It was a physical game between the Knights and Stingrays as both teams battled for the last spot in the senior girls’ ﬁnals.

CV Bethel head coach Shantelle Rolle said her message to the team was to stick to the game plan against the Knights.

“I told my girls to keep their head in the game, let’s do what we came for, stick with the game plan, let’s execute our plays, make our layups and free throws and we should come out victorious,” she said.

The Stingrays ran out to a quick 8-0 lead in the ﬁrst quarter before the Knights scored their ﬁrst bucket at the 2:40 mark.

CV Bethel created a onepoint (12-11) cushion going into the second period.

The Knights tied the score at 15 in the second after Raynia Russell scored late in the quarter.

The score was knotted at 20 with one more half to go.

The Knights continued to hang around on the scoreboard, pulling within two (26-24) with 1:27 remaining in the quarter but it was all CV Bethel in the fourth.

National junior basketball team player Ricarra Beadle, who scored a game-high 30 points, put the Stingrays ahead by double digits (41-29) in the

Adderley Gymnasium on Friday.

fourth quarter and the rest was history.

Tempers ﬂared late in the fourth at the 1:14 mark resulting in CR Walker’s Shania Munroe and CV Bethel’s Naveah Albury both being ejected from the game along with players that left the bench during this time.

Munroe led the Knights in scoring with 14 points.

Rolle shared the team’s strategy going into the ﬁnals against the Rattlers.

“Our plan is to just stick with our game plan, play solid defence and let’s eliminate some turnovers. The Rattlers are a very solid team so we gotta come out and stay on top of the game,” she said.

Senior Boys CI Gibson Rattlers vs RM Bailey Pacers

The Rattlers proved why they are the reigning champions against the fourth seeded Pacers on Friday night.

The team started the night with a 23-9 advantage in the second period thanks to stingy defence and ﬂuid offence.

The defending champions were already ﬁring on all cylinders but then Darius Hanna threw down a statement dunk to close out the ﬁrst half with the Rattlers in charge 36-12.

Coach Johnson spoke about the team’s performance en route to another senior boys ﬁnals.

“We were able to force a lot of turnovers and capitalise on those shots. Darius shot the ball extremely well tonight and defensively we were really locked in and that was key tonight,” he said.

RM Bailey had their best quarter of the game in the third period, scoring 15 points.

However, the Rattlers once again quelled any momentum when Mario Rolle made a deep three translating to a 52-37 advantage with one to go.

The Rattlers kept their feet on the gas the rest of the way.

Hanna scored a gamehigh 26 points for CI Gibson. Lawrence Monestiell put up a team-high 13 points for the Pacers in the loss.

Coach Johnson is expecting big things from the young core in the ﬁnals.

“It feels good. The guys work hard. This is a very young team. We are rebuilding. I lost nine seniors last year but it is all about preparation. We started very early last year preparing and the guys gave themselves a chance to get into the championship. We will see what happens when they play Anatol,” he said.

Anatol Rodgers Timberwolves vs CC Sweeting Cobras

The Cobras could not have asked for a better game plan against the Timberwolves but it was not enough in the end.

Anatol head coach Denycko Bowles was emotional as he talked about the team’s resilience in the comeback victory.

“Firstly, I want to thank God for the victory. If we could do everything possibly wrong in a game we did it tonight. We didn’t execute on offence or defence but it was a push and it was something I think my guys needed moving forward into the championship. We have been resilient all year and the guys really stuck together. It just shows the depth and character of this team to come back after being down the whole game,” he said.

LAMARR WILLIAMS’ DOUBLE DOSE OF VICTORY

FROM PAGE 1

Grant, who set the record on December 4, 2015 at the University of Notre Dame’s Blue and Gold Invite.

Williams, a native of Moore’s Island who came under the tutelage of coach Anthony Williams in Abaco and was a 2023 graduate of Sunland Baptist Academy in Grand Bahama, was named the Track Athlete of the NCCAA Indoor Championships. The former basketball player is the son of Miranda Davis-Miller and Everette Williams.

Millrose Games Devynne Charlton inked her name on another Bahamian national record in the women’s 55m en-route to the ﬁnal, but she ended up fourth in the race as her American training partner Masai Russell out-shined the ﬁeld that included fellow Bahamian Denisha

PISTONS TOP HORNETS 112-102

DETROIT (AP) — Cade Cunningham had 19 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds, and the Detroit Pistons beat the short-handed Charlotte Hornets 112-102 yesterday.

The triple-double was Cunningham’s eighth of the season, the third-highest total in franchise history. Grant Hill had 13 in 199697 and 10 in 1995-96.

Tobias Harris added 20 points for the Pistons, who never trailed, and Jalen Duren had 16 points and 12 rebounds.

Miles Bridges scored 30 points for Charlotte, which has lost seven of eight. Seth Curry added 26.

The Pistons led 90-73 going into the fourth quarter, but the Hornets started the period with a 14-0 run.

Cunningham and Dennis Schroeder hit back-to-back jumpers to give Detroit a 97-90 lead with 6:33 left, and the Pistons pulled back away down the stretch.

BUCKS 135, 76ERS 127

Cartwright at the 117th Millrose Games in New York. While Charlton clocked 7.28 for her national record, Cartwright came in ﬁfth in 7.29. Russell took the tape in an American national record and world leading time of 7.22. Nugent got second in a Jamaican national record in 7.26 with Stark third in 7.28. And in the marquee BBR Partners women’s 60m hurdles, Russell, the Olympic champion from Paris, France last year, remain undefeated this year with her new world leading time of 7.76 in the 60m hurdles to surpass Cartwright’s previous mark of 7.89 Stark was second in 7.82 with Charlton taking third in her season’s best of 7.83 and Charlton ended up in fourth in 7.84. American Tyler Cox was third in 8.21 and Camylin Blake was sixth in her personal best of 8.63. Jamaica’s

LAMARR WILLIAMS

Ackera Nugent rounded the ﬁeld as she false started. New Mexico Collegiate Classic Texas Tech’s Antoine Andrews clinched the victory in his specialty in the women’s 60m hurdles and

showed his versatility as a sprinter in the men’s 60m at the New Mexico Collegiate Classic at the ABQ Convention Center. Andrews, coming off his Olympic debut with a semifinal appearance in Paris, breezed through the men’s hurdles to win in 7.62 ahead of Louisiana State University’s Matthew Sophia, who was second in 7.69. And in the 60m, Andrews turned in the seventh fastest time of 6.69 in the preliminaries and the best in the semifinals in 6.66. However, he didn’t contest the final. He had the seventh fastest time of 6.69 in the preliminaries.

Frank Sevigne Husker Invitational Minnesota State senior Robynn Rolle-Curry picked up ﬁfth place ﬁnish in the women’s 400 in 56.05 and she also placed eighth in the 200m in 24.59 at the Frank Sevigne Husker Invitational.

CC Sweeting had Anatol’s number through three quarters, 38-33. The Cobras pulled away 45-38 at the 4:05 mark of the fourth quarter.

The T’Wolves got within one (45-44) after Paulston Stuart converted a free throw. Following this play, the Cobras had a costly turnover that resulted in Anatol taking their ﬁrst lead in the second half 46-45 with 1:34 remaining.

The Cobras’ Brenden Darville was right on target for a ﬂoater that put CC Sweeting back on top 49-47 but the game came down to the ﬁnal plays. Derek Francis split a pair of free throws for Anatol to trail by just one (49-48). His teammate Raymone Woods hit a game winner with 13 seconds to go that clinched the come from behind victory for the team.

The Cobras had a ﬁnal opportunity to tie or take the lead but missed their attempt.

Stuart led the Timberwolves with 15 points.

Darville poured in 12 points for the Cobras in the loss.

Coach Bowles said the team will have to go back to the drawing board but will be ready for the ﬁnals against the Rattlers.

“We just gotta clean up from this game. We kind of have in our mind what we need to do. We played them earlier in the season and they won the game by a few points but we got them. The guys are gonna go back to the drawing board and I’d say next week is gonna be a dog ﬁght,” he said.

The 2025 GSSSA bestof-three championship series begins 4pm on Tuesday at the Kendal GL Isaacs Gymnasium.

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Damian Lillard scored a season-high 43 points to go along with eight assists and seven rebounds, and Milwaukee beat Philadelphia. Gary Trent Jr. added a season-high 23 points and Bobby Portis had 18 points and 12 rebounds.

The Bucks were missing two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo for a fourth straight game as he deals with a strained left calf. Bucks coach Doc Rivers said before the game that Antetokounmpo likely will remain out through the All-Star break.

Tyrese Maxey scored 39 points for the 76ers, the 18th straight game in which he had at least 25. Joel Embiid scored 27 and Guerschon Yabusele added 18. Milwaukee won for just the second time in its last seven games. This was the Bucks’ second home game in their last nine contests. Philadelphia has lost three straight and ﬁve of its last six.

ROCKETS 94, RAPTORS 87

HOUSTON (AP) — Dillon Brooks scored 19 points, Jalen Green added 18 and short-handed Houston snapped a sixgame skid with a win over Toronto.

The Raptors led by four early in the fourth quarter before Houston used a 14-2 run to make it 77-69 with about 7 minutes to go. Houston was up by four a couple of minutes later when Green made two 3-pointers to power a 9-3 spurt that extended the lead to 86-76.

The Rockets were without Fred VanVleet for a fifth straight game because of an ankle injury and Steven Adams was out because they played Saturday. All-Star Alperen Sengun left in the first quarter with back spasms. Jeff Green and Jock Landale filled in for Sengun and Green had a season-high 14 points while Landale added 11 with a season-best 10 rebounds.

FINALS BOUND: Four teams survived the Government Secondary Schools Sports Association sudden death playoffs to advance to the championship round at the AF

22ND STAR PERFORMERS TRACK & FIELD CLASSIC

Good showing for the UB Mingoes at Star Performers meet

THE University of The Bahamas Mingoes men and women’s track and ﬁeld teams saw some good results at the 22nd Star Performers Track and Field Classic on Saturday, February 1 at the Thomas A. Robinson Track and Field Stadium.

Freshman Samuel Corbin secured his second consecutive victory in the under-20 boys’ shot put with a personal best of 13.94 metres (m) (45’ 8-3/4”). He won that event at the Red Line Track and Field Classic on Sunday, January 26.

Lhevinne Joseph won the open men 800m race in a time of 1:57.50. Finishing in second place was his teammate, Jackson Ozias who posted 2:01.52.

Jumper and freshman Davia Musgrove ﬁnished second in the under-20 girls’ triple jump when she posted a personal best of 11.09m (36’ 4-3/4”). She was also in the under-20 girls’ long jump but did not make the ﬁnals. Her best jump was

4.70m (15’ 5”) to place her seventh overall. Also securing a second place ﬁnish in their event was Marquell Newbold. She did so in the 400m hurdles after stopping the clock at 1:07.20.

Rashad Evans was also in action in the ﬁeld in the open men javelin throw where he was the only competitor. He tossed the javelin for 41.50m (136’ 1-3/4”).

Kendall Cooper was in action in the under-20 boys’ javelin throw where he settled for a fourth-place ﬁnish with a throw of 45m (147’ 7-3/4”).

Dennis Williamson opened his 2025 season with the 400m hurdles where he was the only competitor. He posted a time of 54.46 seconds as he ran the back stretch very strong.

Hurdler Kaiya Cambridge saw action ﬁrst in the open women 100m hurdles where she was the only competitor. She clocked a time of 15.67 seconds.

Rashaa’d Farquharson was fourth in the open men 100m ﬁnals in a time of 11.27 seconds. Freshman William Minors clocked 2:05.38 in the 800m to play ﬁfth. There were three 400m dash runners in the under20 girls’ division.

Malynte Clarke was the fastest UB sprinter, ﬁnishing with a time of 1:00.63 to place seventh overall. Michal Bullard was eighthplace in 1:00.70 while Katranel Dean was 11th with a time of 1:02.86.

Williamson, Clarke, Joseph and Bullard teamed up in the mixed 400m relay for UB’s Team A.

Ozias, Newbold, Minors and Dean teamed up to run for UB’s Team B. Team A won in a time of 3:42.75 while Team B was behind them in second place with a time of 3:46.93. Both men and women teams return to action on Saturday, February 15 at the Roadrunners Track and Field Meet at the same location.

ON THE REPLAY: UB athletes compete in the 22nd Star Performers Track and Field Classic at the original Thomas A Robinson Stadium.

by UB Athletics

Photos

UB Mingoes sprinter Lhevinne Joseph runs in the 800 metres. UB Mingoes sprinter Marquell Newbold gets over the ﬁnal hurdle in the under-20 women’s 400 metres hurdles.

UB Mingoes thrower Samuel Corbin about to launch the shot put.

UB Mingoes javelin thrower Rashad Evans prepares to release the javelin.

UB Mingoes hurdler Dennis Williams crosses the ﬁnish

hurdles

Running in Love III a ‘success’

By TENAJH SWEETING Tribune Sports Reporter

VALENTINE’S Day is just four days away but love was already in the air at the third edition of the ‘Running in Love’ fun run/walk on Saturday at Arawak Cay.

Over 150 lovers and companions participated at the Valentine’s Day-themed event over the weekend in efforts to give back for a worthy cause while getting active with their better half.

The third time participating at the event was certainly the charm for married couple Monique and Kendrick Stubbs.

The lovers were the ﬁrst married duo to cross the ﬁnish line to conquer the 5k (3.1 miles) route. They were both all smiles as they spoke about the experience.

“It was great. We ran together and we enjoyed the race so to know that we are ﬁrst is excellent,” Mr Stubbs said.

Mrs Stubbs expressed that it was a particularly nice feeling to come out and support their friends, the Majors.

“It was a nice feeling to just come out and relax and have fun. We normally run and train together because we are a part of the Bahamas Roadmasters Club. We decided to come out and support our friends Marcel and his wife Teresa,” she said.

She added that participating for a worthy cause was also a plus.

“It is awesome and always important to give back. Cancer touches everybody. My mom died from cancer as well so it is always good to give back and help others,” she said. Proceeds from the event, which was sponsored by City of Hope, went to cancer survivors Tiffany and Mario Curry.

The Currys are both patients of City of Hope and were overwhelmed with the support they received on Saturday.

“It is a wonderful surprise. It is a pleasure and a privilege. We are honoured and we thank Marcel and Teresa along with Four Seasons Race Management. This is tremendous that we were recognised as

honorees for this particular race,” Mr Curry said.

He completed six weeks of radiation late last year while his wife had a double mastectomy. They both were grateful not only to Four Seasons Race Management and City of Hope but also the race participants.

“We are grateful and thankful to everybody who ran, walked and did whatever they had to do to show their love and support for this Running in Love. I would encourage persons next year to be out here, this is tremendous,” he said.

Mrs Curry said participating in the event felt great and their slogan for life is “we are still alive.”

All participants were treated to Running in Love III paraphernalia before and after the race.

Marcel Major, owner of Four Seasons Race Management, spoke about the event’s success in its third year.

“We would like to thank City of Hope for being our sponsor for the third consecutive year. I think the event went very well and

love is in the air and love is catching on. We had a lot of couples that participated who would have not ordinarily done something healthy for Valentine’s so we are very grateful for that. We had over 150

participants, which is a great improvement. The movement is growing,” he said.

Event organisers offered a special thanks to supporters, volunteers, sponsors and the Royal Bahamas

Police Force. Supporters are encouraged to keep up with the latest events at www.fourseasonsracemanagment.com. And you should register early for future fun run/ walk events.

‘Baby Slice’ has successful boxing debut

2016, said the only way to keep his father’s memory alive was to get in and out of the ring against Roche.

“I said I was only going to go one round,” said the 33-year-old Ferguson Jr, known as ‘Baby Slice’ for his similarities in MMA.

“It was easy work.”

Ferguson Jr, a member of Team Bodyshop who has fought in Bellator and Bare-Knuckle Fighting Championships, floored Roche with a right hand and the last was his favourite left hook to the body that sent his opponent into the ropes where he got injured and unable to continue. “I really enjoyed fighting here, so whenever there is a fight, they just need to give me a call and I will come,” said Ferguson Jr, who is based in New York. “It was a blessing to see all of my family members here. It was a blessing to fight in front of them. This was something I was looking forward to.”

Giudice, no doubt, was more eager to step into the ring after the Ferguson Jr ﬁght. He had a larger contingent that travelled mainly from the United States to watch him. The shorter Giudice didn’t disappoint them as he got inside the taller Noa and landed more shots that counted.

“I got tight tonight. It was my ﬁrst time in the ring boxing. I’m a black belt karate, I could kick and punch, that’s a little easier for me because that is what I do,” Giudice said. “Punching is not easy. I have to give it to Ojani. He was a little tougher than I expected, but it went well.”

In the last of the three local ﬁghts, Juwan ‘Fight Night’ Forbes punished Naathan Pickstock with a series of blows to seal a lopsided showdown. Pickstock withstood every attack and counter-punched at times, but it wasn’t enough.

“It was great. I felt good about it. It was a very good technical ﬁght,” Forbes said. “I’m not familiar with my opponent so I was a bit nervous, but after I got through the ﬁrst round, I felt natural and I just went to work.” Jermaine Allen had his cheering squad rooting for him from his corner introduced to come out of the locker room and into the ring.

But once the ﬁght got started, he had to contend with the bigger Carlos “Ofﬁcer KO’ Brown.

The two slugged it out but, in the end, it was Brown who handcuffed Allen for the win.

CHERYL MARIA TURNQUEST LAID TO REST

FROM PAGE 1

the induction was postponed until January. These ladies just enjoy being together. I can’t wait to retire so I can get to do what these ladies are doing.”

Daisy Walker, who served as the captain of the team, said she never imagined to see how the ladies came together as one.

“We are doing some wonderful things together,” she stated. “God has been faithful to us over the years. He’s brought us back together, so I’m so grateful that the BSF thought about us after more than 40 years. Cheryl was such a wonderful member, but she has left us. She has left us with a dream for us to stay together.”

Flo Rolle, who shared the catching role with Turnquest, said when they travelled on the national team, they got the nod based on who was pitching.

She recalled how if Ernestine Butler-Stubbs was pitching, Turnquest was her catcher, but when Linda Ford pitched, Rolle

said she was the catcher. “Since they announced that they were honouring us, we just started to gel together,” Rolle said. “But we will miss Cheryl because she played a key role in what we did. We just wished she was still here, but she’s gone. We will continue to remember her in whatever we do.”

And Naomi Ellis said Turnquest could be considered her “great friend” with their relationship spanning to the days when they were growing up in Mt Royal Avenue.

“We used to drive to the game just to try to make the team,” Ellis said. “Cheryl was there for me and Patsy. Whatever she had, especially mangoes when they were in season, she would call and tell me to come get mine. She also told me to tell Patsy to come and get her own too.

“Not only will I miss her for the fruits, but for her camaraderie because she was a gem of a lady. I will truly miss her. I am also proud to be a part of this

group of ladies. We hope to stay together until we join Cheryl on the other side.”

Robert ‘Bobby Baylor’ Fernander, who served as the manager of the team, said Turnquest was a topnotch catcher, who came to play night in and night out.

“She was a catcher who was very articulate. She would get on top of the pitchers and she would get on the umpires. That is what I remember about her as a leader behind the plate,” Fernander said.

“This team came third in the world. We just played for our country and so we deserve that third in the world. I just wish these young guys like Richard Bain Jr could get some more plyers like Cheryl to carry on the legacy.”

Bain Jr, one of the talented players in the New Providence Softball Association, said he’s just thrilled to see the women who made their presence felt as the third best team in the world. “It’s good to see that group of young women still around,” said Bain Jr, who

indicated that he’s no longer a member of the NPSA.

“I talked with Flo (Rolle) and she was moving young better than some of the young plyers in the league.

“I just think we need to honour them a little more because it’s no small feat that they were number three in the world. A lot of people still don’t know that.”

Bain Jr took it even further and said he was disappointed that the NPSA wasn’t represented at the funeral, considering what Turnquest did for the sport and as a member of the NPSA, along with her son Erin, who was a manager in the men’s division. “Why are they not here?” Bain Jr asked.

Erin Adderley, who managed Bain Jr in the NPSA, was not deterred from those who didn’t show up.

He said he was just thrilled to see the women’s national team, whom he has “the most respect for,” considering the fact that his mother Cheryl was a vital part of their success.

“My opponent had some good reﬂexes coming down to the end, but when it came down to the inside body work, that’s my specialty,” said Brown, who started training under the late legendary boxer/coach Ray Minus Jr before he came out of a hiatus to train with Rodgers.

“My jab worked. I hit him with some nice shots. It wasn’t my best, but you can look for me to put on a better show in the future. I want to take boxing to the world and hopefully become a world champion.”

Allen, however, felt it was his victory to capture. “It was pretty good. I thought I won it. I out-boxed him in

my opinion,” Allen said. “I felt no power. I was faster. I guess I just have to respect the judges’ decision, but I’m good. I will be back.” In the opening bout, Kendric Stuart remained undefeated in ﬁve ﬁghts, but he got a little more than he bargained for from Keyshawn Forbes, who made his debut.

Forbes, the heavier of the two fighters, managed to rock Stuart at the end of the first round, but after he regrouped, the faster Stuart used his experience. However, the judges ruled it a draw. “It was good. I am a little out of shape, but it was good to get in the workout,” Stuart said. “This was Keyshawn’s first time in the ring, but I wanted to feed of the crowd to get rid of the butterflies. Other than that, it was a good match.”

Forbes said he was only in the gym trying to get in some cardio workout to lose some weight and when Rodgers provided him with the opportunity to compete, he went for it.

“My strategy was to go on the defensive end for the first half because I was fighting one of the most experienced fighters in the Bahamas,” he said.

“But my legs gave out in the end. I just want to go back in the gym and work on more cardio. I encourage others to get in the gym and work out too.”

A LOVE AFFAIR: The third edition of Running in Love was a success at Arawak Cay on Saturday.

The event brought out scores of lovers and friends to participate in the annual fun run/walk event. Above, Mackey Williams enjoys a special moment.

WINDSOR Academy senior boys golfers Christopher Callendar, Kerrington Rolle and Camdyn Forbes pose with coach Katie Roach.

REFEREE Jermaine Mackey raises Baby Slice Jr’s hand in victory.

HAZEL Roche gets medical attention after he couldn’t ﬁnish his ﬁght with Kimbo Slice Jr.

NASSAU DARTS ASSOCIATIONWEEK 16

MAN CITY VS REAL MADRID ‘ACCIDENTAL BLOCKBUSTER’ IN CHAMPIONS LEAGUE PLAYOFFS

By GRAHAM DUNBAR AND STEVE DOUGLAS AP Sports Writers

REAL Madrid against Manchester City in the Champions League is the accidental blockbuster of the new knockout playoffs round that starts Tuesday.

The past two title winners surprisingly ﬁnished midtable in the new 36-team standings format that ended in January. The top-eight teams skipped the playoffs and went directly to the round of 16 in March.

The penalty for Manchester City and Real Madrid is now to meet in the extra stage inserted into the format just to enter the round of 16 that they have

come to expect as their rightful place.

Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain also are wealthy and inﬂuential clubs now facing unexpected jeopardy in the two-leg playoffs on back-toback midweeks in February.

The bonus for UEFA and broadcasters is having global attractions in action for two extra games after an expanded opening league phase. If record 15-time champion Madrid is to retain its European title, it will take playing 17 games instead of 13 last season.

Madrid eliminated Man City in the quarterfinals one year ago, and in two epic semifinal legs before lifting the trophy in 2022. Man City won their semifinals meeting decisively in

2023 on the way to its ﬁrst European Cup title. A different City It is a different Man City in personnel and personality that Pep Guardiola will send out Tuesday in Manchester.

Star midﬁelder Rodri is out injured despite being included Friday in an updated squad, playmaker Kevin De Bruyne is less often ﬁt, and the team’s pursuit of a fourth straight Premier League title has been conceded with Liverpool the likely successor.

New signings Omar Marmoush in attack and Nico Gonzalez in midﬁeld have barely settled in — with Gonzalez getting injured early into his debut in the FA Cup and now a doubt for the Madrid game.

Madrid, however, is now rolling as La Liga leader since its early-season wobbles when Kylian Mbappé took longer than expected to settle in.

The France superstar has scored nine goals in his last eight games, most recently the equaliser against Atletico Madrid in the Spanish league on Saturday. His ﬁrst game in a Madrid shirt against Erling Haaland is a key narrative among many before the winner is decided Feb. 19 at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium.

French derby Brest exceeded expectations by getting out of the league stage in its ﬁrst season not just in the Champions League but in European competition.

For that reason, the Brittany side might have been hoping for a rare match against a team from outside France in the playoffs — instead, it got PSG. Indeed, the teams met just last week, with PSG winning 5-2 at Brest’s 15,000-seat Stade FrancisLe Blé. That stadium in northwestern France does not meet UEFA’s requirements so Brest has been playing its Champions League home games at Guingamp’s Stade de Roudourou, 114 kilometers (70 miles) away. PSG hasn’t lost in any competition since November 26 and starts as the big favorite to advance in a competition it has yet to win in 14 years under Qatari ownership.

Italy vs. the Netherlands

An all-France game in February was impossible in the past 20 years because UEFA separated teams from the same country until the quarterﬁnals draw. Now the tennis-style seeded knockout bracket does not keep national rivals apart. There could have been Dutch and Italian derbies in the playoffs but Juventus was paired with PSV Eindhoven and Feyenoord got AC Milan. All four are former European champions. Juventus and PSV meet Tuesday for the second time in Turin this season. Juventus, which has drawn more games that it has won this season, beat PSV 3-1 in September in the ﬁrst of the 144 league-phase games.

NASSAU DARTS ASSOCIATIONWEEK 16

MAN CITY VS REAL MADRID ‘ACCIDENTAL BLOCKBUSTER’ IN CHAMPIONS LEAGUE PLAYOFFS

By GRAHAM DUNBAR AND STEVE DOUGLAS AP Sports Writers

REAL Madrid against Manchester City in the Champions League is the accidental blockbuster of the new knockout playoffs round that starts Tuesday.

The penalty for Manchester City and Real Madrid is now to meet in the extra stage inserted into the format just to enter the round of 16 that they have

come to expect as their rightful place.

Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain also are wealthy and inﬂuential clubs now facing unexpected jeopardy in the two-leg playoffs on back-toback midweeks in February.

Madrid eliminated Man City in the quarterfinals one year ago, and in two epic semifinal legs before lifting the trophy in 2022. Man City won their semifinals meeting decisively in

2023 on the way to its ﬁrst European Cup title. A different City It is a different Man City in personnel and personality that Pep Guardiola will send out Tuesday in Manchester.

New signings Omar Marmoush in attack and Nico Gonzalez in midﬁeld have barely settled in — with Gonzalez getting injured early into his debut in the FA Cup and now a doubt for the Madrid game.

Madrid, however, is now rolling as La Liga leader since its early-season wobbles when Kylian Mbappé took longer than expected to settle in.

French derby Brest exceeded expectations by getting out of the league stage in its ﬁrst season not just in the Champions League but in European competition.

Italy vs. the Netherlands

Running in Love III

A LOVE AFFAIR: The third edition of Running in Love was a success at Arawak Cay on Saturday. The event brought out scores of lovers and friends to participate in the annual fun run/walk event.

WINNING IN LOVE: Married couple Kendrick and Monique Stubbs crossed the ﬁnish line ﬁrst at the Running in Love III fun run/walk event on Saturday at Arawak Cay.

FEELING GRATEFUL: Cancer survivors Mario and Tiffany Curry were all smiles after completing the Running in Love III fun run/walk event on Saturday at Arawak Cay. The married couple were the recipients of a part of the event’s proceeds.