Jonquel scores game-high 23 points

Connecticut Sun forward Jonquel Jones, left, looks to pass as Chicago Sky forward Candace Parker defends during the first half of Game 2 in a WNBA basketball playoffs semifinal Wednesday, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

As of Thursday, September 1, 2022

• Sign in to favorite this
• DiscussComment, Blog about
• Share thisEmail, Facebook, Twitter

#By RENALDO DORSETT

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

#Jonquel Jones and the Connecticut Sun will head back to the friendly confines of the Mohegan Sun Arena with home court advantage and their WNBA Semifinals series with the Chicago Sky tied at 1-1.

#The Sun earned the split on the road with a game one win, but followed with an 85-77 loss in game two last night at Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Illinois.

#Jones finished with a game-high 23 points, seven rebounds, two blocks and three assists in just over 29 minutes. She shot 10-17 from the field and 2-4 from beyond the arc.

#Jones was one of just two Sun players to score in double figures as the offence struggled for much of the night and shot just 33 percent from the field. She made her first three shots from the field, including a three, and got out to a quick start, reminiscent of the game one win.

#Despite her efficiency, the Sky took advantage early and shot 65 percent from the field in the first quarter while they limited the Sun to just 31 percent.

#In the second quarter, Chicago widened their margin to as much as 17 en route to a 47-32 at the half.

#The series now shifts to Uncasville, Connecticut for games three (September 4 at 1pm) and four (September 6 at a time to be decided), both broadcast live on ESPN2.

#Game five, if necessary, will be back in Chicago at Wintrust Arena on September 8.

#The Sun are back in the WNBA semifinals for the fourth consecutive time. Jones finished with 12 points and nine rebounds in the Sun’s 68-63 win over the Sky in game one.

#This series will be the continuation of the rivalry that saw the Sky upset the top ranked Sun 3-1 in the 2021 semifinals and followed with a regular season sweep in 2022.

#Through six playoff games, Jones is averaging 19 points and eight rebounds per game while shooting 53 percent from the field, 50 percent from three-point range and 89 percent from the free throw line.

#Jones was more involved offensively in game two following just eight shot attempts in game one. Her 10.4 field goals attempted per game rank third on the Sun this season behind Courtney Williams and DeWanna Bonner.

#In 33 games this season, Jones averaged 14.6 points, 8.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists. She also shot 51 percent from the field, 80 percent from the free throw line and 37 percent from beyond the arc. She recorded 11 double-doubles on the season and was just one of six players in the WNBA with more than 10 double-doubles. She was recently named to the WNBA All-Defensive Second Team. It was her third time receiving the honour following First Team selections in 2019 and 2021.

http://www.tribune242.com/news/2022/sep/01/jones-and-sun-lose-sky-even-series-1-1/?news

As of Thursday, September 1, 2022

• Sign in to favorite this
• DiscussComment, Blog about
• Share thisEmail, Facebook, Twitter

MIKE Strachan

#By RENALDO DORSETT

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

#MIKE Strachan successfully overcame an offseason injury and a late start to training camp to make the Indianapolis Colts’ opening day roster for the second consecutive season.

#The Colts released its initial 53-man roster just ahead of Tuesday afternoon’s deadline and Strachan was listed as one of six wide receivers on the depth chart.

#After nearly three weeks on the PUP list, Strachan returned to the practice field and had enough of an impact to return to the roster for his second campaign with the club.

#“I had to embrace it. I couldn’t be out there physically but mentally I was there. I had to stay engaged in the game plan, stay in the books, keep pushing, keep encouraging my teammates but I embraced it and made the best of it,” Strachan told the Blue Stable at training camp.

#“For me, it was just finishing camp strong. Being able to put whatever I can on tape for the team, make some plays for the team, and let everything else take care of itself.”

#The second year wideout finished his two preseason appearances with four receptions for 56 yards and a touchdown.

#Four-year veteran Michael Pittman Jr leads a young wide receiver corps that also includes, Strachan, Parris Campbell, rookie Alec Pierce, Ashton Dulin and Dezmon Patmon. “I love this group. I feel like we have a better group than what people think. With this group we have different guys who can do a lot of different things,” Strachan said. “We have bigger receivers like Pittman, Dez, and I, we have shorter speedy receivers like Parris. We have alot of different guys that can do different things so I feel like we can be better than what people think, I feel like we can be the best.”

#The Colts will open the 2022 regular season on the road against the Houston Texans, with that Week 1 game at NRG Stadium scheduled for 1pm ET on September 11. The game will be televised by CBS.

#Strachan said he looks forward to working alongside Colts iconic wide receiver Reggie Wayne who joined the staff in the offseason as the position coach.

#“It’s great having him, he’s been such a tremendous addition to this team and he’s taken us to another level and I love having him as our coach,” Strachan said.

#“He’s able to break things down in detail, show me different ways I can improve and it’s a blessing having him.”

#Prior to joining the staff, Wayne raved about Strachan’s size, speed, route running, and skillset last year as a rookie.

#“In my book, he’s a Hall-of-Famer, so I’m just listening to what he says on the details, the route running, the catching, and even the little things,” Strachan said. “I like to listen to his routine and what he does. He did it before, and I look up to him.”

#Strachan’s standout performance last training camp led the seventh round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft to a spot on the 53-man opening day roster.

#He began the year with appearances in the first two games of the regular season but played sparingly for the remainder of the campaign.

#In week one, he finished with two catches for 26 yards in the Colts’ 28-16 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. Strachan was on the field for 18 snaps and was targeted three times – a higher rate than any other receiver in the lineup.

http://www.tribune242.com/news/2022/sep/01/strachan-named-colts-opening-day-roster/?news

As of Thursday, September 1, 2022

• Sign in to favorite this
• DiscussComment, Blog about
• Share thisEmail, Facebook, Twitter

#By RENALDO DORSETT

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

#FIVE members of team Bahamas were in action yesterday on day two of the 8th FINA (International Swimming Federation) World Junior Championships at the Videna Aquatics Center in Lima, Peru.

#Nigel Forbes and Erald Thompson III got things started for The Bahamas in the 200m individual medley (IM).

#Forbes finished seventh in heat four in 2:12.83 seconds to finish 33rd overall while Thompson was eighth in heat three in 2:19.19, 47th overall.

#Both returned to swim a second individual race in yesterday’s prelims.

#In the 100m Butterfly, Forbes finished eighth in heat seven in 56.71 to finish 33rd overall in the field. Marvin Johnson also competed in the event and swam 58.94 to finish eighth in heat eight – 36th overall.

#Thompson was seventh in heat two of the 200m Freestyle in 2:09.18 to rank 52nd.

#Both Keianna Moss and Rhanishka Gibbs contested the 100m Freestyle. Moss swam 1:00.65 to finish fourth in heat six while Gibbs was fourth in heat five in 1:02.14. They finished 22nd and 37th in the field respectively.

#Moss returned to the pool to deliver the top performance for Team Bahamas in the session in the 200m Butterfly.

#She finished seventh in heat two in 2:35.6 to finish 22nd overall.

#Cameron Bruney, David del Cueto and Stan Corcoran are the coaches for Team Bahamas and the team is managed by Erald Thompson II.

#Gibbs highlighted a busy day one for Team Bahamas as she advanced to the final of the 50m Breaststroke.

#Fresh off her Commonwealth Games appearance, Gibbs swam 33.47 to advance and eventually finished 14th overall in the field with her time of 33.46 in the semifinals.

#In other day one preliminaries:

#Thompson finished 22nd (1:07.34) and Emmanuel Gadson finished 25th (1:07.50) in the 100m Breaststroke while Moss finished 31st (1:08.67) and Johnson finished 36th (1:05.29) in the 100m Backstroke.

#The team of Johnson, Forbes, Thompson and Gadson finished 18th in the 4x100m Freestyle relay in 3:41.57.

#More than 500 of the world’s best junior swimmers from over 80 countries are competing over the six day event which concludes on September 4.

http://www.tribune242.com/news/2022/sep/01/fina-world-juniors-swimmers-spotlight/?news

As of Thursday, September 1, 2022

• Sign in to favorite this
• DiscussComment, Blog about
• Share thisEmail, Facebook, Twitter

TRIPLE crown winner Scott Reddick.

#THE 2022 AID Claycourt Championships is in the history books. The tournament ended with two exciting finals.

#After capturing the Men’s Jr Vets Singles title last week, Scott Reddick clinched a second title on Monday, the Men’s Open Singles over Bobby Chen 6-0, 6-1.

#Scott would then play in another final, the Jr Vets Doubles.

#Scott and partner Wayne Thompson won over Jyles Turnquest and Marcelo Zanelli 6-3, 7-5.

#With an awesome tournament performance, Scott Reddick claimed three titles in the tournament ending as a triple crown winner.

#AID has been a proud sponsor of the tournament since its inception over 28 years ago and Harrold Watson, managing director of AID, was on hand to present the finalists with their trophies.

#The champions and runners-up of the various singles and doubles categories were as follows:

#Men’s Open Singles

#Champion: Scott Reddick

#Runner Up: Bobby Chen

#Men’s Open Doubles

#Champions: Donte Armbrister and Perry Newton

#Runners Up: Ken Kerr and Bjorn Ferguson

#Men’s Jr Vets Singles

#Champion: Scott Reddick

#Runner Up: Harrington Saunders

#Men’s Jr Vets Doubles

#Champions: Scott Reddick and Wayne Thompson

#Runners Up: Jyles Turnquest and Marcelo Zanelli

#Mixed Doubles

#Champions: Sh’Ron Saunders and Tom McDermott

#Runners Up: Richette Percentie and Bjorn Ferguson

#The Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association (BLTA) congratulates the organisers on another successful edition of the AID Claycourt Championships.

#Congratulations are also extended to the champions, the runners-up and all the participants. 00000The tournament referee was Mr Mickey Williams assisted by Mr Everette Munroe.

http://www.tribune242.com/news/2022/sep/01/champions-crowned-28th-aid-claycourt-championships/?news

As of Thursday, September 1, 2022

• Sign in to favorite this
• DiscussComment, Blog about
• Share thisEmail, Facebook, Twitter

KENTWAN SMITH

DANRAD KNOWLES

#By RENALDO DORSETT

#Tribune Sports Reporter

#rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

#FOLLOWING their appearance in the latest FIBA World Cup ‘23 Qualifying windows, a pair of senior men’s national team players have signed with new clubs for their upcoming pro campaigns.

#Kentwan Smith progressed to a higher division in Spain. He signed with the Svendborg Rabbits of the Basketligaen – the top division in the country.

#“I’m excited for the opportunity to come and play for Svendborg Rabbits. I look forward to being a leader on the team and having a successful season with my teammates and coaches,” Smith said in a press release.

#“My goal is to help put this team in a situation where we can make a deep playoff run and hopefully come out victorious in the end. I’m looking forward to connecting with the organisation and fans and seeing what we can accomplish together this season.”

#Smith spent the last two seasons with Garonne ASPTT in France’s NM2 league. In 23 appearances, he averaged 15.4 points per game.

#In the previous season, he averaged 12.9 points per game and Garonne ended the regular season with the second-best record in the league.

#In addition to Denmark and France, Smith’s pro career has taken him to Finland, Mexico, Romania, Slovakia and the Czech Republic.

#Danrad Knowles will sign with CB L’Hospitalet of Spain’s LEB Plata league – the third tier in the country. It will mark his second pro season after he spent his rookie campaign with AD Cantbasket 04 in the Liga EBA – Spain’s fourth division.

#The former Houston Cougar was selected by the Grand Rapids Drive with the 65th overall selection of the 2018 G-League Draft.

#The Grand Rapids Drive are the G-League affiliate of the Detroit Pistons. Knowles averaged 13.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game in 24 appearances.

#At the national team level, both players have been key members of Team Bahamas’ rotation that advanced to the second round of World Cup qualifiers for the first time in Bahamian history.

#In the latest window against Venezuela and Argentina, Smith averaged nine points per game on 58 percent shooting from the field and 67 percent from three-point range.

#He has also averaged nine points per game through six qualifying games thus far while shooting 61 percent from the field and 42 percent from three-point range.

#He posted a high of 17 points in a first round win over the US Virgin Islands. Knowles has appeared in five games and averaged 7.8 points per contest on 60 percent shooting from the field. He scored a high of 14 against the US Virgin Islands.

http://www.tribune242.com/news/2022/sep/01/pro-basketball-players-smith-knowles-sign-new-club/?news

WINNING WAYS: Anthonique Strachan celebrates yesterday after winning the 200 metres at the 2022 Spitzen Leichtathletik in Lucerne, Switzerland.

As of Wednesday, August 31, 2022

• Sign in to favorite this
• DiscussComment, Blog about
• Share thisEmail, Facebook, Twitter

#In the continuation of what has been an eventful year, sprinter Anthonique Strachan sped to victory in the women’s 200 metres at the 2022 Spitzen Leichtathletik in Lucerne, Switzerland, yesterday.

#Competing against a competitive field at the event running out of lane eight, Strachan powered back on the home stretch to take the tape in 22.68 seconds as she edged out Nigeria’s Aminatou Seyni out of lane three, who did 22.12 for second.

#American Jenna Prandini was third in 22.82 with hometown favourite Mujinga Kambundji fourth in 22.89. Egypt’s Bassant Hemida rounded out the top five in 23.05. It was Strachan’s first test at the 200m since she pulled up with an injury at the World Championships in Eugene, Oregon in July.

#“I’m very content with the performance because it was my first 200m since the Worlds,” said Strachan, who celebrated her 29th birthday on August 22, the same day she left the North American, Central American and Caribbean Championships where she was voted in as a Member-at-Large for the Athletics Commission.

#As the race got underway, Strachan came off the curve in the middle of the pack. But as she ascended down the home stretch, she was able to accelerate to surge ahead of the field to secure the win.

#“I tried to come off the curve first, but I didn’t execute that well,” Strachan said. “But once I came off the curve, I picked up more speed and I was able to hold onto whatever momentum I had.”

#With no expectations for the race, Strachan said it was just a good test to see where she’s at, coming off the injury at Worlds that prevented her from competing at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham before she participated in the 100m and on the Bahamas women’s silver medal 4 x 100m relay team at the NACAC Championships in Grand Bahama two weeks ago.

#“Technically, I didn’t compete in a 200m since the trials (Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations’ Nationals) before I didn’t finish the 200m at Worlds,” Strachan reflected.

#“So I just wanted to finish the race. I did that, so I’m content with that.”

#Still not at 100 percent fully recuperated, Strachan said it was good to know that the process is working and not to rush into it and reaggravate it.

#“The competition was rather stiff. I didn’t expect this to be the way it was,” she said. “I honestly thought my team would have put me in a lighter 200m, knowing that I was scared to run the 200m. I thought they would have eased me in there, but it was like they tossed me into it.

#“But in any event, they had the better vision and so I can’t complain about it. They know best.”

#Strachan, one of two Bahamians competing in the meet, is expected to participate in another event next week in Europe, but the national double sprint runner-up is uncertain yet whether or not it will be in the 100m or the 200m.

#Commonwealth Games champion LaQuan Nairn, who missed out on getting on the podium with a fourth-place finish at NACAC, produced a seventh place finish in the men’s long jump with a best leap of 25-feet or 7.62 metres on his sixth and final attempt.

#The top three spots went to Simon Ehammer of Switzerland with 26-3 (8.00m), Tajay Gayle of Jamaica with 26-2 ¼ (7.98m) and Miltiadis Tentoglou of Greece with 26-0 ¾ (7.94m).

#All three performances came on their final attempts in a classic showdown at the end of the competition.

http://www.tribune242.com/news/2022/aug/31/anthonique-strachan-victorious-200m/?news

As of Wednesday, August 31, 2022

• Sign in to favorite this
• DiscussComment, Blog about
• Share thisEmail, Facebook, Twitter

XAVION Johnson and coach Cynthia Rahming at the Cadets World Junior Championships.

#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemdedia.net

#AFTER getting stopped in his only match at the Cadets World Junior Championships in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bahamian judoka Xavion Johnson said he’s even more committed to making it on the international level.

#Johnson, 16, travelled to the championship with Cynthia Rahming, the top Bahamian judoka, as his coach. He fought Arslan Mulalic of Bosnia, but got stopped in less than two minutes in the first round because of penalties in the under-60 kilogram class.

#“I was disappointed because I felt I could have performed much better than I did,” said Johnson on his return home. “But I am even more determined because of the loss to continue to compete in the sport. This loss has inspired me to want to go out there and continue to work harder.”

#The championships, according to Johnson, was very competitive. It ran from August 24-26.

#“There was over 500 competitors there. Just about every country was represented there,” Johnson said. “I was glad that I was able to represent the Bahamas. I’m disappointed that I didn’t perform as well as I expected, but I will be back.”

#With Rahming in his corner, Johnson said he felt at ease because she was able to guide him along the way and ensured that he did what he needed to do to be competitive in the match. Rahming was coming off her appearance with Andrew Munnings at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England.

#“She has really motivated me,” Johnson said.

#This was Johnson’s first appearance at the championships and his second LJF competition, which goes towards his ranking.

#“Xavion is a promising athlete that has the drive and skills to reach his achievable goals within the sport,” Rahming said. “He competed against Bosnia and Herzegovina, the host country and gave a strong match.

#“He was ultimately penalised on tactical errors, but was definitely stronger and more technical than his opponent, which means he was just out-experienced.”

#Based on his performance, the 6-foot Johnson said he plans to move up to the 66kg class where he feels he can be more effective. “Next year, I’m planning to move up in weight class because I know I can be bigger and stronger and perform much better,” Johnson said. “I’m looking forward to it because I know I have the potential to go very far in this sport.”

#Having got involved in the sport because he likes seeing how competitive the judokas are, Johnson said his goal is to become the first Bahamian to win both the Pan American and Olympic Games gold medal.

#“I know coach Cynthia Rahming is aiming for the same thing and she is doing very well in the sport, but if she doesn’t do it, I am aiming to do it,” Johnson said. “I feel I have the potential to be a champion at that level.”

#Prior to going to the Cadets World Junior Championships, Johnson competed in two tournaments in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in July. He earned a silver and bronze medal in one and got seventh in the other.

#“In that tournament, I competed in seven events,” Johnson said. “I think this is my best year ever. It was good to get in those matches because it really helped to prepare me for the competition at the Cadets World Junior Championships.”

#In April, Johnson also competed in the Panamerican – Oceania Junior Championships where he lost to American Christopher Velazco and at the Panamerican – Oceania Cadets Championships where he was defeated by Australia’s Jules Aiberti.

#He also participated in the Nick Goodly Cup, USJF and USJA Nationals, the US Open and the ATIA Nationals. In total, he did about 35 matches and posted 27 victories.

#His proud mother, Ordain Moss, said although it appears that her son had an active year, she noted that he’s still fighting considerably less than other world fighters, but he is certainly holding his own.

#“I am quite pleased with where I am right now,” said Johnson, a member of the Eastwood Judo Club and an 11th grader at Capstone Academy. “I have some big plans ahead of me and I am looking forward to accomplishing those feats.”

http://www.tribune242.com/news/2022/aug/31/judoka-johnson-cadets-world-juniors/?news