05222017 sports

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SPORTS SECTION E

MONDAY, MAY 22, 2017

Gibson Jr regains national amateur golf title By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net RICHARD Gibson Jr, taking advantage of the home surface where he works, put the finishing touches on his four days of intense competition Saturday to regain the men’s title at the Royal Blue Golf Club, Baha Mar. Gibson Jr, who last held the title in 2011, was crowned the champion of the Bahamas Golf Federation’s National Amateur Championships and was joined by collegian Inecia Rolle - the ladies’ winner. The four-day tournament, organised by Fidelity Bank and Sands Beer, began Wednesday at Lyford Cay, continued Thursday at Ocean

Club, Paradise Island and Albany on Friday. The BGF used the championship as a trial for its team expected to represent the Bahamas at the Caribbean Amateur Golf Championships in the Dominican Republic July 30 to August 5. Gibson Jr posted a total of 295 as he held off Oren Butler, who ended up as the runner-up with 303. By virtue of his victory, Gibson Jr was the first player selected to the CAGC team. “It feels okay, but I know there were at least eight other guys who didn’t show up to participate, including the defending champion DeVaughn Robinson,” Gibson Jr said. “But it feels good to win.” As an employee at the newest re-

RICHARD GIBSON JR with his championship trophy. Photo: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff

sort on the island, Gibson said he knew the course, so shooting a 74 on the final day was icing on the cake for his own celebrations. He also won the President’s Cup title over George Swann. “I work here so I guess this course was good but I will take Albany because last year I didn’t have a good round there, but this year I shot even par so I feel good about that,” said Gibson Jr when asked which course he enjoyed the most. The 25-year-old, who improved on his fifth place finish last year when he also made the CAGC team for the men’s regular division, said the competition was still good despite not having all of the top

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Lady Truckers run over the Lady Wildcats 11-3 By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

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Playoffs, Page 8

BAHAMAS SUFFERS 26-19 LOSS TO TURKS AND CAICOS By RENALDO DORSETT Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net TEAM Bahamas was on the wrong side of history in regional rugby play over the weekend and suffered a home loss in the Rugby Americas North Cup Series. The Bahamas fell 2619 to the visiting Turks and Caicos Islands at the Winton Rugby Centre on Saturday. It was an historic win for the visiting side as they secured their firstever victory against a full member of International World Rugby on the international 15 a-side stage. The Bahamas had an opportunity to tie the game late with less than

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MICHAEL MATHIEU WINS THE 400 OVER MILLER

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efending champions Johnson’s Lady Truckers and the C&S Hitmen opened the New Providence Softball Association’s 2017 season in different directions. The Lady Truckers knocked off the Sunshine Auto Wildcats 11-3 in the ladies’ opener on Saturday night. In the men’s feature contest, the Hitmen suffered a 13-2 decision to the BTC Warriors. Both games were stopped via the mercy rule in the fourth inning in between the official opening ceremonies that featured remarks from ECAST president Burkett Dorsett, Bahamas Softball Federation’s president Ted Miller, NPSA president Henry Dean and Sunshine Auto sponsor Deanza ‘Sonny’ Cox. Veteran pitcher Linda Ford and Glenroy ‘Flo’ Saunders threw out the ceremonial first pitches to get the ball rolling. Lady Truckers 11, Lady Wildcats 3: Taking off from where they left last year, the Lady Truckers made this one look so easy as they bolted a 8-run second inning on six hits as they ran away from the Wildcats. “We have a pretty good team,” said Johnson’s manager Sidney ‘Bobby Baylor’ Fernander. “Our biggest problem has been practice. We haven’t been able to get everybody out all at one time. Other than that, we have a very good team.” Ruthann Simms, back in the lineup at third base after a year off, led the charge as she went 2-for-3 with

NBA

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

JOHNSON’S Lady Truckers knocked off the Sunshine Auto Wildcats 11-3 in the women’s opener of the New Providence Softball Association on Saturday night. Photo: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff

AS the Silver Lightning’s eighth annual Thomas A Robinson Track Classic closed out the local club meets on Saturday, quartermiler Michael Mathieu and high jumper Jamal Wilson led the performances. Competing in the original Thomas A Robinson Track and Field Stadium, Mathieu - running unattached clocked 46.39 seconds to pull away for the win over Ramon Miller, also unattached, who clocked 46.84 for second. Anthony Adderley of Alliance Athletics was third in 47.49. “I am just trying to get more competition in me so that I can get back to where I was before,” Mathieu said. “It’s been a while since I competed here, so I felt I needed to come

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Jonquel Jones posts double double in Sun’s loss to Fever By RENALDO DORSETT Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net THROUGH two games, Jonquel Jones has looked the part of the breakout star she was projected to be this season, but her Connecticut Sun are still searching for their first win of the year. Jones finished with 19 points and 12 rebounds - both game highs - in the Sun’s 81-79 loss to the Indiana Fever at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana, on Saturday night.

She shot an efficient 7-11 from the field, was a perfect 5-5 from the free throw line and also dished a game-high four assists. Despite her effort, the shorthanded Sun squandered an 11-point lead as the Fever ended a streak of four straight losses in home openers to improve to 1-2. The Sun fell to 0-2. Jones scored her final basket of the game, a layup at the 2:54 mark in the fourth quarter, to give the Sun a 70-66 lead. She would foul out on the ensuing possession and the Sun would be unable to maintain the advantage down the stretch. The Fever’s Shenise Johnson scored eight of her 13 points in the fourth quarter, including a go-ahead jumper with 46 seconds remaining. The Sun led 45-40 at halftime and was up 11 in the final minute of the third quarter. Morgan Tuck’s 3-pointer got the Sun within 76-75 with 16 seconds left but Connecticut was called for a dead-ball foul on Indiana’s inbounds. The Fever converted the free throw and kept possession. They made four free throws down the stretch to the victory. The Sun, already without starting centre Chiney Ogwumike (out for the season with an Achilles injury), were also without starters Jasmine Thomas (attending brother’s wedding) and Alyssa Thomas (concussion

CONNECTICUT Sun’s Jonquel Jones, top, defends Chicago Sky’s Courtney Vandersloot, bottom, during a game on September 11, 2016. (AP) protocol). Jones is currently averaging 13.5 points and a WNBA-leading 16.5 rebounds per game. Jones finished her rookie campaign for the Sun last year, averaging 6.8 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.1 blocked shot in just over 14 minutes per game. She shot 53 per cent from the field and 33 per cent from three-point range. The Sun will continue to seek their first

win of the season when they face the Minnesota Lynx 8pm May 23. The first segment of the season for the Sun features a lopsided number of road games as the league’s youngest team attempts to end a four-year playoff drought. Eight of the first 11 (and 12 of the next 18) are road games. The Sun will close out the week in a home and away when they host the Lynx on Friday, May 26.


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