Connecticut Sun forward Jonquel Jones is guarded by Chicago Sky forward Candace Parker during the first half of Game 4 of a WNBA basketball playoff semifinal, Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2022, in Uncasville, Conn. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

As of Wednesday, September 7, 2022

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#UNCASVILLE, Conn (AP) — DeWanna Bonner and Courtney Williams each scored 19 points to help the Connecticut Sun rout the Chicago Sky 104-80 last night and force a decisive Game 5 in their WNBA semi-final series.

#Alyssa Thomas added 17 points for Connecticut, which will travel to the second-seeded Sky for the winner-take-all game on Thursday night. Jonquel Jones helped out with nine points, seven rebounds and five assists in 28 minutes on the floor.

#It’s the second consecutive playoff series for each team that has gone the distance. Both Chicago and Connecticut had to go on the road in the third game of their opening-round series and win to reach the semi-finals because of the new playoff format that saw the higher seeded team host the first two games of that best-of-three set.

#Connecticut coach Curt Miller has been saying for the entire series that his team would have to make the game “messy” to beat the Sky. Getting into a high-scoring game wouldn’t benefit the Sun.

#That wasn’t the case yesterday, as the Sun raced to a 22-6 lead, scoring 10 of the first 12 points. Thomas was a big reason why with seven points, four rebounds and two assists in the first five minutes. The All-Star forward had six points total in Game 3 and seven in Game 2 — both Connecticut losses.

#The Sky got back within eight by the end of the first quarter, but couldn’t get much closer as Connecticut had an answer for every Chicago run — thanks to Thomas, Bonner and Jonquel Jones.

#Chicago got within 38-33 midway through the second quarter before the Sun went on a 15-5 run to restore the double-digit advantage. DiJonai Carrington had five points during the burst that was capped by Thomas’ layup with 1:01 left in the half.

#Candace Parker, who had been stellar in the first three games of the series, scored her first points of the game on a 3-pointer 16 seconds later that got the Sky within 53-41. Connecticut scored the final five points, including a layup just before the buzzer by Carrington that made it 58-41 at the break.

#Williams was the spark in the third quarter, helping the Sun stave off any Sky run. Her teammates were looking for her when Chicago would come double them, and Williams was left open for layups. She had 10 points in the third quarter.

#Kahleah Copper scored 16 points and Emma Meesseman added 14 for the Sky.

#AWARD WINNER:

#WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert honoured Sun forward Brionna Jones before the game with the league’s Sixth Person of the Year award.

#Jones received 53 of the 56 votes from a national media panel. It’s the first time Jones has won the award.

#TIP-INS:

#The Sky are trying to be the first team to repeat as champions since Los Angeles did it in 2001-02.

#Six other defending champions reached the finals since then, but all lost in that round.

#The UConn women’s basketball team was in attendance, sitting a few row up from the Chicago Sky bench.

#Bonner moved into seventh on the all-time postseason scoring list in WNBA history.

http://www.tribune242.com/news/2022/sep/07/jones-sun-force-decisive-game-5/?news

As of Wednesday, September 7, 2022

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MEACHER MAJOR

#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemdedia.net

#MEACHER ‘Major Pain’ Major, whose Major Boxing Club is preparing to stage the inaugural Frederick Sturrup Boxing Championships on September 24 at the National Boxing Gymnasium, has decided to put his name in the hat for the post of president of the Boxing Federation of the Bahamas.

#Major, a resident of Buffalo, New York, is expected to challenge incumbent Vincent Strachan whenever the elections take place this year. No date has been set as yet for the elections, but Major said he just wants to let the pubic know that he wants to take over the reigns of the amateur boxing programme in the country. “I want to give the Almighty God thanks and praise for the people who have encouraged me to run for president,” said Major, one of the former prolific amateur and professional boxers in the country. “I feel now is the time to bring something new to the Bahamas as a tourism destination.

#“A lot of the present coaches and even coaches from the past have been complaining about what is going on and with my experience as one of the first amateur boxers to come out of Ray Minus Jr’s Champion Boxing Club and one of the professionals to retire from the sport, I know all of the ins and outs of the sport.”

#Major said he has been studying the new IABA rules and laws and is well versed on what’s going on in the sport, being exposed to a high level of competition in the United States, he is confident that he can bring a new, vibrant programme to the Bahamas.

#“I feel our boxers could have a better chance when they compete at these international competitions and have an even smoother transition whenever they decide to turn pro like I did,” he said. “So I’m really looking forward to making a difference if I am successful.”

#At the elections, Major said the delegates will not just be voting for him, but for the amateur boing programme in the Bahamas.

#“We don’t really have a junior national boxing team and we hardly have a senior national team. A lot of the amateur boxers have quit because they didn’t see anywhere to go,” Major said.

#“Only Carl Hield really stuck around and Rashield Williams has turned a pro fighter because of his frustration with the amateur programme.

#“But I feel with my connections in the United States and with the coaches I have who are willing to come to the Bahamas with their teams to compete, I feel this will be a fresh new opportunity for our amateur boxers and the coaches.”

#If elected, Major said he will make sure that the amateur boxers in the country will get the opportunity to go to the next level.

#The inaugural Frederick Sturrup Boxing Championships is the first initiative that Major intends to put on as he looks ahead to the future for the sport.

#He thanked the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture for allowing his Major Pain Boxing Club to put on the show.

#The show is being spearheaded by Alpachino Allen, another former amateur/pro fighter, who is working along with Major.

#In his absence from the Bahamas, Kato Ferguson, another former amateur/ pro fighter, runs the Major Pain Boxing Club.

#Tyrone Oliver, one of the most exciting amateur boxers, is expected to be one of the top boxers to watch on the show. Major said they are still putting together all of the details for the show.

#The show is expected to take place one day before the Bahamas Boxing Commission, headed by Sturrup, stages a boxing clinic in the Kemp Road community on September 23. “I want to thank all of the local coaches who are coming on board to work with Major Pain Boxing Club to put on this show,” Major said.

#“It’s so good to see the young coaches like Kieshno Major, Valentino Knowles, Tureano ‘Reno’ Johnson, Kayla Johnson and those in Inagua, Grand Bahama, Eleuthera and Exuma all expected to compete,” Major said. “This is something that we haven’t had before. I know Ray Minus Jr used to put on a lot of in-house boxing shows because a lot of the local clubs didn’t want to band together.

#“But hopefully we can do this to get boxing back to the level that it used to be and even further in the future.”

#Whenever the elections for the federation takes place, Major said he will be putting all of his emphasis into making his campaign a successful one.

#Because he has a number of ideas that will be implemented to bring more programmes throughout the country under one umbrella once again like it was when he competed under Champion Boxing Club with Major Jr.

#The 40-year-old Major, who turned pro with a TKO over Juan Trevino on October 28, 2000 in Nassau, had his last official fight on October 27, 2018 with a knockout win over Martin Anderson in Nassau after he compiled a 24-6-1 win-loss-draw record. While he was still on the active trail, Major started his Major Pain Boxing Club in 2014 with Ferguson, catering mainly to the boxers coming out of the Kemp Road community where he was born and grew up.

http://www.tribune242.com/news/2022/sep/07/major-pain-run-president/?news

SYDNEY Clarke in action for the University of Alabama at Birmingham Blazers women’s tennis team.

As of Wednesday, September 7, 2022

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SYDNEY CLARKE

#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

#SYDNEY Clarke is eager to get her junior fall season started with the University of Alabama at Birmingham Blazers women’s tennis team.

#Clarke, who closed out her sophomore year in May by being named to the Conference USA All-Conference Singles Second Team, is set to begin playing for the Blazers September 16-18 in the Austin Peay Hidden Duals in Clarkesville, Tennessee.

#“Things are looking good, preparation wise,” said Clarke, a right-handed player. “Pre-season has been going very well. We have been getting in a lot of practices getting prepared and equipped for what is ahead of us.”

#After coming home this summer to play for the Bahamas in the prestigious Billie Jean King Cup, formerly the Fed Cup, Clarke said she’s hoping that the experience gained will help her as she continues her tenure for the Blazers.

#“I just want to continue doing better and get better,” stated Clarke, who won the Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association’s December Invitational to win the top spot on the national team.

#“I’m really hoping for a very successful fall. My spring season has been pretty good. So I’m really going to push myself so that I can do better than I did in the spring.”

#Already, Clarke said the coaching staff, headed by Mark Tjia, assisted by Paula Baird, expect her to improve on her game and take more of a leading role as the number two player in singles and No.1 in doubles for the Blazers.

#“They expect for me to be more professional on the court and to be more of a leader on the team,” she stated. “I expect to be more calm and composed and be able to fight right to the end in every match that I play. If I can do that, I have a chance to do very well for the team.”

#Clarke, a 20-year-old graduate of Windsor Academy after transferring from CR Walker Secondary High, said there’s a lot of pressure, but she’s confident that she can handle it.

#“Playing these matches in the fall should really help me in the spring next year,” Clarke said. “So I want to be able to take advantage of these opportunities to be able to improve my game.”

#Once the fall season starts next weekend, Clarke said they should be playing in a series of matches just about every weekend until the end of October.

#As for her classes at UAB, Clarke said she switched her major to mass communication with a minor in broadcasting with marketing on the side. She said her classes have already been intense since she returned to school, but she’s looking forward to the year ahead of her.

http://www.tribune242.com/news/2022/sep/07/sydney-clarke-eager-get-her-junior-fall-season-und/?news

Sprinter, high hurdler all set for big event in Zurich

SPRINTER Tynia Gaither, left, and high hurdler Devynne Charlton, right, are the only two Bahamians who secured a spot in the Wanda Diamond League Final this week in Zurich, Switzerland.

As of Tuesday, September 6, 2022

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#By BRENT STUBBS

#Senior Sports Reporter

#bstubbs@tribunemdedia.net

#After four months and 12 meetings, high hurdler Devynne Charlton and sprinter Tynia Gaither are the only two Bahamians who survived for a spot in the Wanda Diamond League Final this week in Zurich, Switzerland.

#The league’s most dramatic climax will take place on Wednesday and Thursday when 32 champions will be crowned with the prestigious Diamond Trophy in the series final at Weltklasse Zurich.

#While six finals will take place at a city event on Wednesday, Gaither and Charlton will be among the remaining 26 featured at the Letzigrund Stadium on Thursday.

#The duo earned their berths in the series of events that took place from May 14 in Doha, Qatar, to Brussels, Belgium on September 2. In the series of meets throughout that period, athletes earned points from 13 meetings across four continents.

#Notably absent from the list is Olympic and world champion Shaunae Miller- Uibo, who qualified in both the women’s 200 and 400 metres, but she opted not to compete.

#Instead, she shut down her season after winning the gold medal at the North American, Central American and Caribbean Championships in Grand Bahama a few weeks ago.

#The 28-year-old Bahamian multiple national record holder finished the series in fourth place in the 200m with 12 points from two meets, while she occupied the second spot in the 400m with 22 points in thee meets.

#Gaither, the 29-year-old Grand Bahamian native, is having undoubtedly her finest season, having emerged in her first Diamond League Final tied for fifth place with American Gabrielle Thomas, Swiss sprinter Mujinga Kambundji and Great Britain’s Beth Dobbin, all with 10 points from two meets.

#Jamaica’s Shericka Jackson tops the field with 23 points from three meets. Jackson, who has had a terrific transformation from the 400m to the sprints, winning a medal in just about every international meet she competed in, is also entered in the 100 at number three behind Marie-Josee Ta Lou of the Ivory Coast and fellow Jamaican sensation Shelly- Ann Fraser-Pryce, who is going for her fifth Diamond League title.

#Like Gaither, national record holder Charlton is making her debut in the women’s 100m hurdles as she capped off a tremendous season that started with a silver medal at the World Indoor Championships, another at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England and a bronze in the NACAC Championships at home.

#Charlton, 26, is tied for second place in the standings with Puerto Rico’s Olympic champion and world championship bronze medallist Jasmine Camacho-Quinn, both with 16 points from a pair of meets.

#The leader of the pack is World and Commonwealth Games champion Tobi Amusan, the world record holder with 22 points from three meets.

#The women’s 100m hurdles will take place at 7:25pm on Thursday with Charlton competing against Amusan, Camacho-Quinn, Jamaican world championship silver medallist Britany Anderson, former world record holder Kendra Harrison along with Nia Ali and Tia Jones, all from the United States, Switzerland’s Ditaji Kambundji and Poland’s Pia Skrzyszowska.

#“I’m feeling pretty good, looking forward to rounding out my season with a strong performance,” Charlton said.

#“It’s a tough field and should make for a really fast race. “I’m focused on having a good execution to put myself in the running.”

#Charlton, ranked at number seven in the world and a seventh place finisher at the World Championships, heads into the meet having lowered the Bahamian national record to 12.46 for her lifetime best at the Bahamas National Championships at the Thomas A Robinson National Stadium in June.

#Amusan clocked 12.12 in the semi-finals at the World Championships in Eugene, Oregon in July for the world record before she lowered it in a wind-aided 12.06 in the final that wasn’t a legal time.

#The 29-year-old Gaither, on the other hand, rebounded from a false start in the 100m at the World Championships to make the semi-finals of the 200m.

#Then she went on to the Commonwealth Games where she got seventh in the 100m and was a silver medallist in both the 100m and the women’s 4 x 100m on a brilliant comeback leg at the NACAC Championships.

#Gaither, currently ranked at No.27 in the world with her lifetime of 22.41 this season, will run in the 200m at 9:42 pm against a stacked field.

#The field includes Jackson with the world’s fastest time of 22.41 this year, Americans Thomas, Jenna Prandini and Tamara Clark, Swiss’ Kambundji, Dobbin from Great Britain and Ida Karstoft from Denmark.

#In addition to winning the Diamond League trophy, athletes will be competing for a total of $30,000 in prize money with a further $30,000 distributed amongst the other finalists. While first place will pocket $30,000, second place will collect $12,000, third place $7,000, fourth place $4,000, fifth place $2,500, sixth place $2,000, seventh place $1,500 and eighth place receives $1,000.

#From the Diamond League series, the overall winner will also get $10,000, second place $6,000, third $3,500, fourth $2,000, fifth $1,250, sixth $1,000, seventh $750 and eighth earns $500.

http://www.tribune242.com/news/2022/sep/06/gaither-charlton-diamond-league-final/?news

As of Tuesday, September 6, 2022

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#BERMUDA has now topped The Bahamas in three consecutive matches at the CONCACAF Men’s U17 Qualifiers level.

#Bermuda emerged with a 4-0 win yesterday over The Bahamas as Group A play continued at the IMG Academy Field in Bradenton, Florida.

#With the win, they secured qualification to the CONCACAF U17 Championships in Guatemala in 2023.

#The sides previously met in the 2010 edition of the qualifiers when The Bahamas won the first match 1-0 and Bermuda followed with a 5-1 win. At the 2014 qualifiers, Bermuda took a 4-0 win.

#Bermuda now tops Group A with 12 points and an unblemished 5-0 record while The Bahamas fell to 2-2 and fourth in the group with six points.

#Bonaire is second in the group with nine points (3-1), Guyana is third with seven points (2-1-1), the British Virgin Islands is fifth with one point (0-3-1) while Saint Martin has yet to tally a point in the tournament (0-4).

#The Bahamas closes out the round robin group stage with a matchup against Bonaire Wednesday September 7 at 9:10am. Bermuda looks to remain undefeated with a matchup against Guyana at 11:15am.

#Bonaire opened the competition with a 4-2 win over Guyana, followed by a 2-1 win over BVI, a 2-0 loss to Bermuda and a 2-1 win over Sait Martin. The Bahamas opened competition with a 2-1 win over Saint Martin led by goals from Reuben Edgecombe and Kai Perez.

#In their second match, they suffered a 4-0 loss to Guyana. They then improved to a 2-1 record as they blanked BVI 1-0 on Saturday via a goal from Robert Holcombe.

#The four group winners will advance to the 2023 CONCACAF Men’s U17 Championship.

#In addition to Bermuda leading Group A, Aruba leads Group B at 3-0, Dominican Republic leads Group C at 3-0 and Nicaragua clinched Group D.

#They will join the top 16 ranked nations that have been seeded directly into the group stage of the 2023 CMU17 Championship.

http://www.tribune242.com/news/2022/sep/06/concacaf-mens-u-17-qualifiers-bermuda-tops-bahamas/?news

As of Tuesday, September 6, 2022

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#TEAM Bahamas concluded competition at the FINA World Junior Championships in Lima, Peru with a pair of semifinalists over the weekend.

#Rhanishka Gibbs reached her second semifinal of the meet and Nigel Forbes advanced for the first time at the Videna Aquatics Centre.

#Gibbs concluded day five with an 11th place finish in the women’s 50m Freestyle with her time of 26.68 seconds – a new personal best.

#She advanced to the semi-finals with the 14th fastest time out of the prelims, 26.99. Keianna Moss also contested the event and finished tied for 23rd overall with her personal best time of 27.70.

#Forbes finished 12th overall in the men’s 50m Butterfly with a new personal best time of 24.71.

#Forbes finished 17th in the preliminaries with a time of 25.12 and was an alternate for the semifinal round.

#After a withdrawal of an athlete in the top 16, Forbes received the opportunity to swim in the semifinals.

#Marvin Johnson also swam the 50m Butterfly and finished 35th overall with a time of 26.06. Team Bahamas reached the semifinal round in four events at this year’s World Championsships.

#Gibbs was the first to advance out of the prelims with her 14th overall (33.46) finish in the 50m Breaststroke last Tuesday.

#Johnson advanced to the semis of the 50m Freestyle and finished 13th overall in 23.39.

#All six members of Team Bahamas participated across four events on day five.

#Johnson and Forbes both contested the 100m Freestyle.

#Forbes finished 30th in 52.29 and Johnson was 39th in 52.95.

#Gibbs was 35th in the 100m Butterfly in 1:09.97.

#In addition to Moss’ aforementioned appearance in the 50m Freestyle, she also swam the 100m Butterfly and finished 22nd in 1:05.21.

#Erald Thompson III and Emmanuel Gadson finished 20th (30.17) and 31st (31.45) respectively in the 50m Breaststroke.

#On the final day of competition, Gadson and Forbes were the only members to compete in an individual event – the 200m Butterfly.

#Forbes finished 21st overall in 2:06.75 while Gadson was 31st in 2:18.05.

#The duo then went on to team with Thompson and Johnson to finish 12th overall in the 400m Medley Relay.

#More than 500 of the world’s best junior swimmers from over 80 countries competed over the six-day event which concluded on Sunday, September 4.

#This Videna Aquatics Centre also hosted the XVIII Pan American and Parapan American Games in 2019, the 2021 South American Youth Aquatic Sports Championship and the 2022 FINA Water Polo World League Intercontinental Cup.

http://www.tribune242.com/news/2022/sep/06/gibbs-and-forbes-reach-semi-finals-fina-world-juni/?news

 Home|News|CARIFTA aquatics moves to CuraçaoSports

Island nation steps in after St. Lucia is unable to host; facilities developing slowly

Simba FrenchSend an emailSeptember 8, 2022 209 3 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

The 2023 CARIFTA Aquatics Championships, that was initially set for St. Lucia, will now be held at the alternate site, Curaçao. That decision was made in early September after the CARIFTA Congress was not satisfied that St. Lucia’s facilities would be ready in time for the meet, which is set for April 8-11, 2023.

The last time it was held in Curaçao was in 2005.

President of the Bahamas Aquatics Federation Algernon Cargill said the decision was made quickly as they wanted to ensure that the event was going to take place.

“They are building a multi-million dollar swimming complex in St. Lucia. The facilities have just started. In order to ensure that the championships are happening without any interruption, a CARIFTA Congress gave St. Lucia a deadline to be at a certain progress on their pool. After that date was not met, the congress, led by St. Lucia, agreed that it would be best for the alternate, Curaçao, to host the event,” Cargill said.

Happening in St. Lucia was going to be a first time occurrence for the CARIFTA Aquatics Championships. The venue change does not change the way that The Bahamas prepares for championships, said Cargill.

“We competed in Curaçao before so we know the facilities very well and we are happy to return to Curaçao. The main facility is a 50-meter pool so we are excited about that, and we know that Curaçao will do a good job in putting it on,” Cargill said. He has volunteered himself as a FINA (International Swimming Federation) Bureau member and a senior member of the fraternity in swimming to provide support if needed in organizing the championships as they look to ensure that the high CARIFTA standards continue.

The Bahamas will be looking to secure a fifth consecutive title in 2023, and seventh in the last eight meets. Cargill said that they cannot get too comfortable as the other countries are making progress.

“We know that Jamaica has done very well and, of course, Trinidad and Tobago; and with the championships in Curaçao, it is kind of inexpensive for them to get there, to knock The Bahamas off as champions. What is great about our team moving forward next year is that most of the team will return except for the four who aged out. As long as our athletes remain focused and continue to train hard, The Bahamas should not have a challenge at all repeating as CARIFTA Champions for the fifth consecutive time,” Cargill stated.

The Bahamas came away with 975 total points for the win in the four-day meet in Barbados this year. Overall, The Bahamas finished with 65 total medals – 14 gold, 22 silver and 29 bronze. Jamaica was second with 833.50 points while the Cayman Islands was third with 754 points.

With five of the six members of the historic world junior championships team returning to CARIFTA, Cargill is hopeful that they come with a new perspective – to keep winning. In addition, he is hopeful that all the swimmers focus on performing well in other competitions.

“It is great to win CARIFTA but you have to think beyond CARIFTA in terms of development,” Cargill said. “The swimmers now have to think about winning at the Pan Am Games, CAC (Central American and Caribbean) Games and medaling at the world junior championships. CARIFTA is great but it is only the beginning and it is an elementary meet in the overall cycle. The CCCAN (Central American and Caribbean Amateur Swimming Confederation) Championships is a lot more challenging than CARIFTA, so is the Junior Pan Am Games. While we want to win CARIFTA, we cannot be comfortable winning CARIFTA. We have to think bigger and dream bigger if we want to continue at a higher standard at the senior level.”

The Bahamas is still set to host the meet in 2024.

https://thenassauguardian.com/carifta-aquatics-moves-to-curacao/

 Home|Sports|COVID outbreak forces The Bahamas to forfeitSports

Simba FrenchSend an emailSeptember 8, 2022 249 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

The Bahamas’ under-17 boys national soccer team was forced to forfeit its final game at the CONCACAF (Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football) Under-17 Qualifiers against Bonaire at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, on Wednesday, as a result of less than 11 players being available for the match due to an outbreak of COVID-19. It was their final game of the qualifiers and there were eight players who tested positive, according to team officials. Fortunately, none of the players are very ill and only displayed mild symptoms.

Bahamas Football Association (BFA) Technical Director Bruce Swan, who made the trip, said the players and the team are doing well.

“The players are in quarantine,” Swan said. “We just have a couple of them with high temperatures. We don’t have anyone who is sick to say that they are bedridden. They can be up and about, so they are doing okay.”

The Bahamas was in Group A with five other countries and had a 2-2 win/loss record going into their final match. They sat in fourth position with six points. They scored three goals and gave up nine.

Team Bahamas won its first match 2-1 against Sint Maarten. The goal scorers for The Bahamas were Reuben Edgecombe and Kai Perez. Robert Holcombe’s first half goal helped The Bahamas take down the British Virgin Islands (BVI) 1-0 for their second win. Their losses came against group leaders Bermuda, falling 4-0, and Guyana, also losing 4-0.

The team was set to play their fifth and final game of the tournament yesterday. After testing the team and its management for COVID-19, the BFA had to make the decision to forfeit the game.

“It’s difficult when you come into a tournament and you expect to play all of your games. The team was doing well, they were adjusting fine with two wins and two losses. We wanted to play that last game to come out with a winning record. It is sort of disappointing. We had less than 11 players to start the match. It was a decision for the federation to call off the game instead of risking the team going into the match with less players for 90 minutes,” Swan said. “Knowing what we know in terms of their recovery and the stress that we may have put them through, it might have put them in a position to get injured during the match. We had some players who are dealing with hamstring, calves and other minor injuries and we did not want to risk that further.”

Swan said he is looking forward to the players’ continued development when they get back home as he and the BFA looks to the future.

“We decided that it would best that we pull the guys from the last game and look forward to their growth in the future. We definitely have a lot of work to do when we get back with their clubs to ensure that we are growing better and have more confident players. We are going to get to work as soon as we get back,” Swan said.

The tournament was a qualifier to the CONCACAF Under-17 Championships. Only the group winners advanced to the championships where the top 16 ranked nations in the region have been seeded directly into the group stage. That tournament will be played during the first quarter of 2023.

https://thenassauguardian.com/covid-outbreak-forces-the-bahamas-to-forfeit/

 Home|Sports|Jones finishes seventh in MVP votingSports

Sheldon LongleySend an emailSeptember 8, 2022 175 3 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

A year after turning in arguably the greatest season by a Bahamian athlete in history, Jonquel ‘JJ’ Jones took a step back this year, but still proved that she is among the game’s elite players in the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA).

Jones finished seventh in voting for the WNBA’s Most Valuable Player (MVP), a year after winning it all. The starting center for the Connecticut Sun experienced a drop-off in her numbers this year, but still had enough to lead the Sun to the league’s third-best win/loss record and within one game of advancing to the WNBA Finals for the second time in four years. They could get back to the finals with a win over the defending champions Chicago Sky in the decisive Game Five of their semifinal series tonight. That game is set to tip off at 8 p.m. at the Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Illinois. The Sun have advanced as far as the semifinals in each of the last four years.

This year, Sun leader Jones got four third-place votes, four fourth-place votes and six fifth-place votes and finished with 38 points in the voting process. Las Vegas Aces’ forward A’ja Wilson, who was just named the WNBA Defensive Player of the Year last week, added to her collection for 2022, as she was announced as the Kia WNBA Most Valuable Player on Wednesday.

Fifth-year player Wilson had 31 first-place votes and finished with 478 total points from a national panel of 56 sportswriters and broadcasters, to win her second MVP Award in the last three seasons and second in total. Seattle Storm forward Breanna Stewart, the 2018 WNBA MVP, had 23 first-place votes and finished in second place with 446 points. Las Vegas guard Kelsey Plum finished in third place with 181 points and Connecticut forward Alyssa Thomas was fourth with 94 points. Chicago starting center Candace Parker, who won the award in 2008 and again in 2013, was fifth in voting this year with 78 points. She and Las Vegas guard Chelsea Gray got the other two first-place votes. Gray was eighth overall with 20 points. The only other player to finish ahead of Jones was Phoenix Mercury guard Skylar Diggins-Smith with 39 points.

Jones, 28, averaged 14.6 points per game on 51.3 percent shooting from the field this season after dropping in 19.4 points on 51.5 percent shooting from the field in 2021. Her rebounding numbers also took a fall. Last year, she led the league in rebounding for the third time in her career, pulling down 11.2 rebounds per game. This year, she had 8.6 boards per game. Jones finished tied for third in rebounding and was once again top 10 in the league in blocks at 1.2 per game. She also averaged 1.1 steals per game – just off her career high of 1.3.

This year, Jones finished in a tie for fifth in voting for the WNBA Defensive Player of the Year after a third-place finish in 2021. She was also named to the league’s all-defensive second team this year, and last year, she was a first-team selection.

As for Wilson, she becomes the seventh player in WNBA history to win the award multiple times, joining three-time winners Lauren Jackson, Lisa Leslie and Sheryl Swoopes and two-time MVPs Cynthia Cooper, Elena Delle Donne and Candace Parker.

Wilson is also the fifth player to win the Kia WNBA MVP and Kia WNBA Defensive Player of the Year awards in the same season, and the first to do it since Jackson in 2007. The others to do it are Yolanda Griffith (1999), Swoopes (2000 and 2002), and Leslie (2004).

Wilson finished fifth in the league in scoring (19.5 points per game) and second in rebounding (9.4 rebounds per game). She shot 50.1 percent from the field and led the league in double-doubles (17) and blocks (1.9 blocks per game).

With Wilson leading the way, the Aces (26-10) posted the most wins in franchise history and earned the No. 1 seed in the WNBA playoffs. The Sky had an identical record but lost the regular season head-to-head series against the Aces and settled for the No. 2 seed in the playoffs. The Sun was just one game back at 25-11 and earned the No. 3 seed in the playoffs.

Wilson has also led the Aces to the WNBA Finals for the second time in the last three years and for their third time in franchise history, dating back to the days when the team was known as the San Antonio Silver Stars. They await the winner of the Sun and Sky series in the WNBA Finals, looking to win their first WNBA title.

Game One of the WNBA Finals is set for Sunday, September 11, starting at 3 p.m.

As mentioned, Jones and the Sun take on the Sky in the decisive Game Five of their best-of-five semifinal series at 8 p.m. tonight in Chicago.

https://thenassauguardian.com/jones-finishes-seventh-in-mvp-voting/

 Home|Sports|Junior swimmers perform well in PeruSports

Cargill said the performance of the team was historic, and bright future ahead

Simba FrenchSend an emailSeptember 7, 2022 207 3 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

The Bahamas wrapped action at the FINA (International Swimming Federation) World Junior Championships in Lima, Peru on Sunday, and Bahamas Aquatics Federation President Algernon Cargill praised the six-member team. Despite no finalists, the team had four semifinal appearances, which represented the first time in history for that much advancements for The Bahamas. Also, some personal best times were recorded by the Bahamians at the VIDENA Aquatics Center in Lima.

The team comprised of Erald Thompson III, Rhanishka Gibbs, Keianna Moss, Emmanuel Gadson, Nigel Forbes and Marvin Johnson.

The coaching staff included Camron Bruney, David del Cueto and Stan Corcoran. There was not a head coach, and the team manager was Erald Thompson II.

Cargill was in Lima and saw firsthand the team’s historic performance. He said it shows that their junior program is strong and well-prepared for transition into the senior level.

“I am very happy with the performance of the team. The performance was historic. We had four semifinals appearances and this has never happened before in our participation at the world junior swimming championship. Gibbs advanced to two semifinals and Johnson and Forbes had one each. These swimmers represented The Bahamas at a very high level as they competed against the best in the world,” Cargill stated.

Gibbs powered her way to the girls 50 meters (m) free and the girls 50m butterfly semifinals. The 16-year-old’s best finish came in the 50m free where she finished 11th overall with a personal best time of 26.68 seconds. In the 50m fly, she finished 14th overall after clocking 33.46 seconds in the semifinals. Forbes made the semifinals in the boys 50m fly. The 17-year-old touched the wall in a new personal best time of 24.71 seconds. For 16-year-old Johnson, he made the semifinals in the boys 50m free. He recorded a time of 23.39 seconds.

Cargill commended the coaching staff as well as the swimmers’ individual coaches back home for their hard work.

“Our coaching staff at the games did a great job in managing the team,” Cargill said. “The coaching started before arriving in Peru so I want to recognize the hard work of the local coaches in preparing our junior athletes as well. This is why participation in the CARIFTA Games, CCCAN (Central American and Caribbean Amateur Swimming Confederation) Championships and the Junior Pan American Games is so important. It exposes our swimmers to the very best competition in the region and around the world. Competing at the world junior championships where world junior records were set, our swimmers held their own.”

Gibbs also represented The Bahamas at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England, that wrapped up in early August. Cargill zeroed in on her performances in Peru.

“We are happy with her performances. She represented The Bahamas at a high level,” Cargill stated. “She was at the Commonwealth Games and did very well. Gibbs is well positioned to do well at CARIFTA next year and at other junior meets, and senior meets. She has several more years at the junior level and her performances were the highlight of the team. She was very close to making the 50m free final but from what I saw she took two extra breaths coming down to the last 15 meters, but she did well. Her family and coach should be proud of her performances.”

Forbes had personal best times in the boys 50m free (23.64 seconds) and 100m free (52.29 seconds). Moss came away with four personal bests at the championships. The 17-year-old swam personal bests in the girls 50m free (27.70 seconds), 100m free (1:00.65), 50m fly (29.28 seconds) and 100m fly (1:05.31).

Gadson swam away with three personal best times. The 16-year-old had personal bests in the 100m breaststroke (1:07.50), 200m breast (2:27.50) and 200m fly (2:18.05). Erald Thompson III, 18, had personal bests in the 100m breast (1:07.34) and the 50m fly (28.47 seconds).

https://thenassauguardian.com/junior-swimmers-perform-well-in-peru/