SPORTS SECTION E
Friday, January 23, 2026
Winter Olympics - Page E8
Big Red Machine march past Saints By BRENT STUBBS Chief Sports Editor bstubbs@tribunemedia.net
MAREA Pickstock and Tichea James secured the clutch performances down the stretch as the Saint Augustine's College Big Red held off the defending senior girls’ champion Kingsway Academy Saints. In their Bahamas Association Independent Secondary Schools marquee basketball game at Kingsway Academy yesterday, the Big Red Machine pulled off a slim 22-19 victory. With the Saints holding onto a slim 19-18 lead, Pickstock was fouled on a drive to the bucket and she canned a pair of free throws to push the Big Red Machine ahead 20-19. And after a turnover by the Saints, James powered her way inside for a lay-up to seal the deal with her buzzer-beating basket. As they secured the win, SAC remained undefeated
at 4-0, while Kingsway Academy fell to 2-1, but both coaches felt there's still a lot of work to do as they prepare for the rest of the season. "I love games like this because games like this, I like to see the girls' skills and talent," said SAC's coach Anastacia Moultrie, who played and coached in so many of these types of games. "I want to win, but when she can see the girls display their talent offensively and defensively, from both teams, you can say there's hope for women's basketball in the country." Moultrie, whose Big Red Machine got eliminated in the playoffs last year, said as they are "patient with the ball" and "working our offence," they should be able to avenge their early postseason exit. Tamaro Butler said after winning their last game by a blowout, he anticipated that they would have a tough matchup against the Big Red Machine.
ON THE REPLAY: St Augsutine’s College Big Red Machine senior girls in action against the Kingsway Academy Saints yesterday. "Simply mistakes, turnovers and couldn't make the lay-ups," were the tangibles that Butler felt were their downfall. "We also played some bad defence.
"Instead of staying in front of our man, we were trying to get a home run play to go for the steal. I think those things contributed to the loss."
Butler said they just have to get back to the things they were working on season long and that is "making the lay-ups and staying engaged in the game
and cutting out the simple mistakes. "Our turnovers killed us. They were not just forced errors, making bad passes. We just have to take better care of the ball and play better as a team." When it counted the most on the stats sheet, Faith Burns led SAC with seven, Pickstock finished with six, James had five and Charliah Thompson added four. In giving it her all, despite suffering a series of injuries during the game, Dashante Sears paced Kingsway Academy with a game high 13 and Michahayla Joseph chipped in with four. Behind Burns' five points, SAC jumped out to a slim 6-5 lead at the end of the first quarter. They went on to push their margin to 13-8 at the half as Thompson connected on four points in the second period. The Big Red Machine stayed ahead 17-14 after the third period and they outscored the Saints 9-5 in the fourth quarter as they held on for the win.
Aidan Gorospe, 16, doesn’t make the cut in Bahamas Great Abaco Classic By BRENT STUBBS Chief Sports Editor bstubbs@tribunemedia.net IT was a mammoth task for Aidan Gorospe to accomplish as the youngest player participating in the Professional Golf Association’s Korn Ferry Tour at the Bahamas Great Abaco Classic. Short in stature, the 16-year-old tried to weather the storm against some of the world's best pro golfers, but his two day scores of 82 and 81 didn't enable him to make the cut for the final two days of competition. He watched as American Ian Holt wrapped up the four-day competition at the Abaco Winding Bay Club on Wednesday with a 12-under to cart off the second title in the 2026
Korn Ferry Tour in The Bahamas. Holt joins fellow American Taylor Dickson, who captured the first tournament in the Bahamas Golf Classic at the Ocean Golf Club on Paradise Island a week before. Gorospe, who followed compatriot Cameron Riley, the Bahamian representative at Atlantis, said his performance in Abaco didn't go how he wanted it to, but he noted that the experience was priceless. "The experience was great getting to meet a lot of the pros and getting to play with a bunch of them," Gorospe said. "My rounds didn't go well, I just couldn’t find my swing both of the days." Prior to the start of the tournament, Gorospe said
he got a chance to work out on the course with his father, Lemon, who actually was his caddie. "It’s a really tough course to play, especially when the weather conditions are not the best," said Gorospe, who had to get used to playing in the high winds and the rain during the tournament. The reigning Bahamas Golf Federation's junior national champion said despite what he encountered, he didn't change his routine or do anything different playing against the pros. "I did feel comfortable when I stepped out on the first tee because I had practiced here," Gorospe pointed out. "However, I was still very nervous."This was an incredible experience for
me, to be among these tour pros and getting to play a professional event with them in my home country at my age is an honour." Although he qualified by beating out a number of local pros, including his father, during the BGF's trials in December at the Ocean Club, Gorospe admitted that if there was anything he learned from the tournament, it's the fact that it's a lot harder playing against the pros than he could have imagined. "I’m looking forward to growing my golf game and look forward to competing for the opportunity to play again in the Korn Ferry tournament exemption qualifier next year," he stressed. The 11th grader at US Performance Academy
AIDAN Gorospe, 16, repesenting The Bahamas in the Bahamas Great Abaco Classic. - a private online school and a member of the Harris Golf Academy said now that the pressure of playing in the tournament is
over, he can concentrate on catching up on the school work that he missed in the last week. Keep up the good work!
Coach George Cleare shares some of his expertise By BRENT STUBBS Chief Sports Editor bstubbs@tribunemedia.net WHILE home on a break from coaching in the United States, George Cleare took
the opportunity to share some of his expertise with both local coaches and athletes. Cleare, who had the opportunity to work with both Olympic and world
400 metre champions Shaunae Miller-Uibo and Steven Gardiner before they rose to international stardom, said it's always a joy to be home. "I'm home for a while. It's been about a decade since I've been here, so I'm just taking this opportunity to hang out with family and friends before I head back to the United States in a few weeks," he said. Cleare, who has coached at a number of high schools, colleges and universities in the United States, said he has certainly grown a lot through his experiences. "I've gotten to understand a little more of the scientific way of how you train and why you train," he said. "Theoretically, I think I've really established a better foundation. "While I was gone, I completed my masters degree in kinesiology and health and I am one class away from finishing my PHD
in education administration and supervision with a concentration on higher education." During his time away from home, Cleare said he took advantage of the opportunity to better prepare himself professionally in the sport of track and field and to increase his education for the next phase of his career. "I want to move into the direction of being an administrator and providing a programme and putting things in place to help change and reshape the mindset of the people in track and field," he insisted. "I want to see how best I can serve the country and I think after doing what I've done as a coach, I want to go further and get into administration." Cleare, however, said while the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations gears up for its election of officers in
GEORGE CLEARE November, he doesn't have any interest in serving on the administrative team. "It's always been my belief that coaches need to focus on coaching," he stated. "I think one of the biggest handicaps that we get in the BAAA is that we have coaches trying to be coaches and administrators. "It's hard. It's impossible for you to raise money, go
out and meet corporate Bahamas and do all of the little things if you are coaching in the morning and the afternoons and at track meets on the weekend." He said it's better suited for the federation to have administrators take on the role of administrators and coaches stick to coaching so that they both can get the job done. On his return home, Cleare said he has noticed that there are a number of new clubs and coaches within the BAAA system, which speaks volumes. "The more athletes and coaches you have in the system gives the country the opportunity to grow the sport," he stated. "But for me, there's a gap that I see because there's not enough mentorship. "I see people getting into this saying they want to coach, but I think if there
COACH - SEE Page E3