SPORTS SECTION E
Monday, February 23, 2026
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42nd Hugh Campbell Basketball Classic
Rattlers to face Jaguars in final By JONATHAN BURROWS Tribune Sports Reporter jburrows@tribunemedia.net
FOR the third straight year, head coach Kevin Johnson has guided the Rattlers into the Hugh Campbell Tournament final after a 57-49 semifinal win over the Anatol Rodgers T- Wolves yesterday at the A.F. Adderley Gymnasium. With St. George’s High defeating Queen’s College 71-45 in the other semifinal, the stage is now set for another Grand Bahama versus Nassau showdown for the title. After a tight start that saw the teams tied 7-7 midway through the first quarter, the Rattlers closed
New Providence versus Grand Bahama showdown all set the period ahead 13-10. They widened the gap in the second, taking a 28-19 lead into halftime, behind steady half-court defence and work on the glass. Senior Mario Rolle delivered a captain’s performance. Rolle scored a game-high 20 points on 7-of-15 shooting, including 7-of-15 from two-point range, and went 6-of-7 from the free throw line for 85.7 per cent. He added 13 rebounds - eight offensive and five defensive - controlling the paint on both ends. Sidney Higgs had a double-double with 14 points
and 13 rebounds in nearly 30 minutes of play. Higgs shot 4-of-9 from the field, knocked down 5-of-8 from the free throw line, and added three assists. His activity around the rim kept Anatol from generating second-chance momentum. Leonardo Wright chipped in 11 points on 5-of-9 shooting and hit a three-pointer, while Larius Hanna added seven points and pulled down 13 rebounds, including 12 on the defensive end. C.I. Gibson dominated the boards with Deareno Stubbs adding 16 rebounds. They finished the quarter
with a 36-22 advantage in points in the paint. The third quarter was decisive as the Rattlers stretched their lead to 18 points, fuelled by defensive pressure that created transition opportunities. They scored 29 points off turnovers compared to 18 for Anatol. Even when Anatol cut into the deficit late behind 19 points from Jathyn Jones and nine from Dinagio Fowler, C.I. Gibson answered with composed possessions and timely stops. As a team, the Rattlers shot 21-of-62 from the field
and 12-of-25 from the freethrow line. “We stuck to our game plan. First of all, I just want to thank God for the opportunity to coach these young men, a very young team, but they understand what it takes to get to this point,” said Johnson. “This tournament is very hard and gruelling. At the end of the day, we need to just stay locked in and listen to the coaches and the rest is history,” said Johnson. Coach Johnson noted after the game that this is a young roster, made up mostly of 10th and 11th graders, with only two
senior players providing veteran leadership. Despite that, the group has shown maturity in back-to-back elimination games. “This is a very good team, the number one team in the country. We have the you have to defend. “Definitely, we've got to box out. Number 22 and number 3 and another guy, they're pretty good shooters. “You just have to make them make it difficult for them. And I think once we do that, we give ourselves a chance to win the game,” said Johnson on the game plan for St. George’s.
Oklahoma retires Buddy Hield’s No. 24 jersey
JERSEY RETIRED: Chavano “Buddy” Hield’s No. 24 jersey was formally retired by the University of Oklahoma over the weekend, sealing his status as one of the most decorated players in Sooners’ basketball history. SEE THE FULL STORY AND MORE PHOTOS ON PAGE E2
Devynne Charlton wins 60 metre hurdles in France By BRENT STUBBS Chief Sports Editor bstubbs@tribunemedia.net
DEVYNNE CHARLTON
BAHAMAS world indoor record holder Devynne Charlton has proven that she's ready to travel to the World Indoor Championships next month to go for her third straight title in the women’s 60 metre hurdles. Coming off her Invitational meet here at the Thomas A. Robinson Track and Field Stadium, Charlton travelled to Lievin, France, where she won the event at the Credit Mutuel - Meeting Hauts-de-France Pas-de-Calais Trophée over the weekend. Although she's not going to the World Indoors, scheduled for March 20-22 in Kujawy Pomorze, Poland, sprinter Anthonique Strachan showed off her speed as she clinched a third place finish in the
VAN FORBES JR
EZTHIA MAYCOCK
AHMAD EVANS
K’LEIGH DAVIS
women's 60m at the SW Isaac-Henry Invitational Meet in Jamaica. A number of Bahamians were also in the spotlight as they contested their various collegiate championships or last chance indoor meets around the United States. And quite a few athletes from various clubs from New Providence and
Grand Bahama participated in the Speed Capital Caribbean Invitational at the Ansin Sports Complex in Miramar, Florida. Charlton's win Against a strong field of potential rivals for the World Indoors, Charlton cleared the five flights of hurdles in a season's best time of 7.79 seconds.
The World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold meet saw Poland's Pia Skrzyszowska trail in 7.83 and Ditaji Kambundji of Switzerland got third in 7.34. Jamaican Megan Simmonds, placed fourth in 7.83. Simmonds, one of Charlton's guests for her invitational, is now a training partner of Charlton at
the University of Kentucky under Bahamian head coach Rolando 'Lonnie' Greene. During the preliminaries, Charlton clocked the fastest qualifying time of 7.85 in winning heat one. Nadine Visser of the Netherlands did 7.90 for
ATHLETES - SEE Page E3