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BIG SCORING NIGHT

BOSTON (AP) — Valdez

“VJ” Edgecombe Jr had 30 points and 10 rebounds while playing through pain after taking a hard fall on his back early in the game, Tyrese Maxey scored 29 points and the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Boston Celtics 111-97 last night to tie their playoff series at one game apiece.

Edgecombe made six of the 76ers' 19 3-pointers. He is the first rookie to record at least 30 points and 10 rebounds in a playoff game since Tim Duncan on May 5, 1998.

At halftime, Edgecombe had 20 points, seven rebounds, two assists and one steal with eight of 13 field goals and four of six three pointers. He finished the game with 30 points, 10 rebounds, two assists and

By BRENT STUBBS Chief Sports Editor bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

AFTER earning the Conference USA Newcomer and Player of the Year in her transferred season at Florida International University, Bahamian female basketball player Rhema Collins is now off to Texas Tech.  The 21-year-old, 6-foot, 2-inch forward has decided to turn in her FIU Panthers jersey as she emerged from the transfer portal with a Texas Tech Lady Raiders outfit for her senior year.  From the transfer portal, Texas Tech's head coach Krista Gerlich acquired Collins along with Kiki Smith - a junior who played for the Purdue Boilermakers - and Tahys Da

Silva out of Salt Lake Community College.

Having coached the Lady Raiders to their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2013 and its first NCAA Tournament victory since 2005, Gerlich feels Collins could be a key asset to their continued success.

"We are so excited about Rhema. We think she could be the hidden gem of the portal," Gerlich said. "We love that she is an athletic, versatile 3-4-5 player who will go get the ball off the rim and be a rebounder."

As she continues to lead her alma mater, Gerlich was rewarded with a new fouryear contract through the 2029-30 season and she said she's looking forward to Collins making a contribution in more ways than one.

"The fact she is a steal threat will add to our top 20 defence and her ability to stretch to the three or post up smaller defenders makes her a tough matchup," said Gerlich, who  has recorded 103 wins with overall winning seasons in each of the past four seasons.

"I love her personality, her passion and her maturity. She is driven and ambitious. She is a perfect fit for Lady Raider basketball!." Collins, the daughter of Angela and Steve Collins, played for Ole Miss under

Local Sports Calendar

CONSTITUENCY

SOFTBALL

THE New Providence Sports Council, in conjunction with the Bahamas Softball Federation, is slated to hold the Constituency Games Softball Tournament from Tuesday, April 28 to Sunday, May 3, in the Bankers’ Field at the Baillou Hills Sporting Complex. The men will play modified pitch during the tournament, while the women will play slowpitch. For more information, persons can contact BSF president Marvin ‘Togie’ Wood at 808-7281.

RED-LINE YOUTH

CLASSIC

THE Red-Line Athletics Track Club is scheduled to hold its Youth Track Classic on Saturday, May

2-3 at the original Thomas A. Robinson Track and Field Stadium. The event is open to athletes from the under-7 to under-15 divisions for boys and girls. To register, persons can log onto www.CoochORegistration.com SOFTBALL BBSC SOFTBALL CLASSIC

THE Bahamas Baptist Sports Federation Softball Classic, which was scheduled for this weekend, has been postponed until the weekend of July 17-18 at the Baillou Hills Sporting Complex. The BBSF, instead, will not host its next event until the Volleyball Classic is staged at the CI Gibson Gymnasium over the weekend of June 19-20.

‘We are so excited about Rhema. We think she could be the hidden gem of the portal’

position coach at Ole Miss, coach Jaida Williams, made sure I felt welcomed as long as the rest of the staff,” Collins said.

“I’m expected to elevate and to sharpen the things I can already do while also adding some things to expand it. Coach Gerlich didn’t bring me in to rebuild as she said the intention is to reload. Texas Tech had an amazing and historical season. The goal is to go even further.”

In addition to being the CUSA Newcomer and Player of the Year, Collins was also named to the first team All-CUSA and All-Defensive Team.

She also earned three CUSA Player of the Week honours.

As a starter in 27 of the Panthers’ 30 games she played in, Collins averaged 33.4 minutes per game, led the CUSA in scoring with 16.7 points per game, had 24 games of double digits points and 11 games of 20-plus points and scored a career high 40 points against Georgia State.

She shot 45.9 per cent from the field for the fourth best mark in the CUSA, had a 72 percentage from the three-throw line for eighth in the CUSA and was third in the CUSA in rebounds with 8.8 per game. Additionally, she had 14 double-doubles in points and rebounds, was tied for seventh in CUSA with 2.1 steals per game and third in CUSA with 1.4 blocks per game with 15 games with multiple blocked shots.

Collins played her last game for the Panthers in a 77-66 loss to Abilene Christian in the second round of the Women’s National Invitation Tournament last month in Abilene, Texas.  In that game, Collins posted 10 of her 25 points in the fourth quarter, but it wasn’t enough to get the win.

She also had nine rebounds and two assists.

Collins helped FIU to their second 20-win season in three years with a 21-12 win-loss record, the most CUSA wins in programme history at 12-6 and their highest seeding ever in the CUSA.

“I feel good about my year. I’m proud of my team and how far we went,” said Collins, a former student of Jordan Prince Williams and St John’s College.

Local coach Anthony Swaby, who has been a part of Collins’ journey since she left The Bahamas to  complete high school at the Webb School to join Ole Miss and then transferring to FIU, said Texas Tech is a place where she will continue to flourish.

“I think at FIU, she proved that she is capable of playing at this level,” Swaby said. “The staff at Texas Tech was impressed by her. She is a power rebounder and they’re looking at her holding her own on the offensive end as well.”

Collins is expected home to work out with the women’s national basketball team that will be coached by McPhee-McCuin as they prepare for the CentroBasket Tournament this summer.

Field Championships

Queen’s College Comets capture the under-17 and under-15 titles

By JONATHAN BURROWS Tribune Sports Reporter jburrows@ tribunemedia.net

THE 2026 Frank “Pancho” Rahming All Schools Track and Field Championships concluded with a wide-ranging display of talent across all age divisions, as schools from across the islands of The Bahamas delivered strong performances on both the track and in the field at the Thomas A Robinson National Stadium.

The meet reflected a highly competitive structure from the junior divisions straight through to the senior ranks, with Queen’s College (QC), St. Augustine’s College (SAC), and CH Reeves Junior High School all emerging as major contributors across multiple age groups.

In the senior divisions, QC established itself as one of the most consistent programmes of the meet, capturing the under17 combined title with 311 points and added the under-15 crown with 217 points, showing the programme's depth across both middle and upper school levels.

SAC controlled the under-20 division, accumulating 338 points to secure the senior title ahead of QC’s 248. Temple Christian School also featured prominently in that division with 158 points, while Tabernacle Baptist Academy rounded out the top four with 109. At the junior level, CH Reeves Junior High School delivered one of the most dominant performances of the meet. The programme won the under-13 division

with 171 points and added the under-17 junior division title with 241 points, reinforcing its status as one of the strongest developmental programmes in the country.

Across the divisions, several schools maintained consistent scoring, including Sunland Baptist Academy, St John’s College, Temple Christian, and Bishop Michael Eldon School, all of which appeared regularly in the top tier of team standings, highlighting the depth of competition throughout the championships.

Family Island programmes outside of New Providence and Grand Bahama also delivered a broad-based showing across multiple divisions, with several schools consistently scoring and producing finalists.

In the Under-13 division, Central Andros High and Mangrove Cay High each secured eight points, while North Eleuthera High also got on the board, reflecting early impact from the smaller islands. That presence continued in Under-15, where Central Andros, Mangrove Cay, and North Eleuthera all added five points apiece, joined by Harbour Island Green School (5 points) and Harbour Island All-Age (3 points), showing depth across multiple islands.

In the senior ranks, North Long Island High School earned 24 points in the Under-17 division, one of the strongest Family Island totals in the meet, while Preston Albury High (Eleuthera) contributed 14 points in Under-15 and added further scoring at the upper levels. On the track, Amiyah Taylor of

Holmes Rock dominated the Under-13 sprints, winning the 100m in 13.25 and returning to capture the 200m in 26.90

The final day of the meet featured several standout performances.

Logan Stubbs of SAC won the under-20 girls’ 200 metres in 24.32 seconds, finishing ahead of Bishop Michael Eldon’s Bethany Bevans (24.70) and St John’s College’s Ana Butler (25.37).

In the same age group, Syrmiah Crawley controlled the under-20 girls’ 400m hurdles from the early stages and secured gold in 1:02.57.

In the field, Carlin Archer produced one of the top allaround performances of the meet in the under-20 boys’ division. He completed a

double victory, winning the long jump with a mark of 7.05m and returning to take the triple jump with 14.82m, adding significant points in technical events.

The under-17 division featured several high-level sprint performances.

CARIFTA medallist Brion Ward won the under17 girls’ 200 metres in 24.11 seconds, ahead of Government High School’s Bailey Babbs (24.58) and SAC’s Brianna Bootle (24.70).

On the boys’ side, Sunland Baptist Academy’s Zion Bradford edged a close finish in the under-17 boys’ 200 metres, clocking 21.79 seconds to narrowly defeat St John’s College’s Aiden Musgrove (21.81), with St Anne’s Tristan Lockhart third in 22.25. In the under-20 boys’ 200

metres, Agape Christian’s Louben Philip delivered one of the fastest times of the championships, winning in 21.13 seconds, just outside the long-standing meet record of 21.11. QC’s Everette Fraser finished second in 21.58, followed closely by CR Walker’s Johnathan Higgs in 21.61. The hurdle events also produced strong performances across multiple divisions.

Shawne Ferguson of St John’s College showed significant improvement in the under-17 boys’ 400m hurdles, lowering his time from 1:01.47 in the preliminaries to 58.17 in the final to secure gold. In the under-17 girls’ 400m hurdles, CR Walker’s Keilesha Saunders won in 1:08.46, holding off SAC’s

Tia Thompson (1:08.81) and Sunland Baptist’s Trinity Rolle (1:11.87).

Temple Christian’s Tieano Ferguson captured the under-20 boys’ 400m hurdles title in 55.21 seconds. QC’s Nathan Walker placed second in 57.31, while Kingsway Academy’s Reonard McKenzie finished third in 57.60. Field events outside of the jumps also played a role in the overall standings.

Bishop Michael Eldon’s Keyezra Thomas won the under-17 girls’ high jump with a clearance of 1.65m, while Windsor School’s Alyssa Thurston took the under-17 girls’ shot put with a throw of 11.22m. The toss was narrowly ahead of QC’s T’Arjahnaye Green (11.11m) and teammate Dayn Rolle (10.35m).

By DOUG ALDEN Associated Press

Wembanyama unanimous selection as NBA’s defensive player of the year

By TIM REYNOLDS AP Basketball Writer

THERE had never been a unanimous NBA Defensive Player of the Year. Until now.

Victor Wembanyama — as expected — was announced Monday as the league's top defensive player.

The San Antonio centre was second in the voting for DPOY as a rookie, was the favourite last season until a medical condition ended his season prematurely, then left no doubt this year.

At 22, he's the youngest winner of the award.

“The real struggle might have been getting to 65 games,” Wembanyama said — referring to the number he needed for award eligibility — on NBC Sports Network.

“But I’m super, super happy to win this award and actually super proud to be the first-ever unanimous.”

Oklahoma City's Chet Holmgren was second and Detroit's Ausar Thompson was third after both helped their teams secure No. 1 seeds for the playoffs.

But this was never in doubt, not after the 7-foot-4 — or maybe taller — Wembanyama led the NBA in blocked shots for a third consecutive season and generally terrorised opponents any time they wanted to score.

“Best player in the world,” Spurs forward Keldon Johnson said.

The NBA continued its award announcements yesterday when the Clutch Player of the Year — either Minnesota's Anthony Edwards, Oklahoma City's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander or Denver's Jamal Murray — was revealed.

Wembanyama is also a finalist for MVP, with the winner of that trophy not set to be revealed until next week at the earliest.

First, the league got this announcement out of the way. And Wembanyama's win was accompanied by a slew of milestones.

— Every other winner of the award had been at least 23. Wembanyama doesn't turn 23 until next January.

— The Spurs became the first franchise with four players to win DPOY, which was first handed out in the 1982-83 season. The others?

Alvin Robertson in 1986, David Robinson in 1992 and Kawhi Leonard in 2015 and 2016.

— Wembanyama joins Robinson and Michael Jordan as the only players to win both Rookie of the Year and DPOY. “I’ve had the chance to have great coaches over my career who have taught me great habits on defence,” Wembanyama said. The biggest accomplishment may be this: Wemby got every voter to agree.

Golden State's Stephen Curry was the unanimous MVP in 2016 and in the 10 seasons that have followed, there have been only two instances of a player collecting 100% of the first-place votes for an award.

Those were Wembanyama for Rookie of the Year in 2024, and now this.

No player in at least the last 50 seasons — and maybe ever, since it's hard to say with certainty because some full voting results for awards handed out generations ago are not known publicly — has won two major individual awards unanimously.

It's the 10th known unanimous pick in any vote for MVP, Rookie of the Year, Sixth Man of the Year, Most Improved Player, DPOY or Coach of the Year. And some of biggest names, including LeBron James and Michael Jordan, never won a major award unanimously.

“I feel like he is one of the hardest workers that I’ve ever been around,” Johnson said.

“He takes his craft very seriously. I feel like this is just a small token of what’s to come for Victor. He’s a special player now. He’s a special player on the court and even more special person off the court as well.

This is just a small token, small flowers that’s given to him for Defensive Player of the Year.”

Holmgren and Thompson both got votes for the first time; a panel of reporters and broadcasters who cover the league were asked to pick their top three in the category, with ballots due last week before the playoffs started.

Minnesota’s Rudy Gobert — a four-time DPOY winner — was fourth, followed, in order, by Toronto’s Scottie Barnes, Boston’s Derrick White, Oklahoma City’s Cason Wallace, Houston’s Amen Thompson, Atlanta’s Dyson Daniels and New York’s OG Anunoby. There was a three-way tie for 11th between Detroit’s Jalen Duren, Golden State’s Draymond Green — the 2017 winner — and Miami’s Bam Adebayo. Wembanyama is an MVP finalist (along with Oklahoma City's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the reigning MVP, and

three-time winner Nikola Jokic of Denver), which almost certainly means he'll be an All-NBA first-team selection. And the DPOY win means he'll also be on the All-Defensive team, so

the Frenchman is assured of no fewer than four trophies from this year's award season. “We often overlook the team aspect,” Wembanyama said. “I’m sitting here. I

happen to be the guy who’s put in the spotlight, but I am part of a system and I couldn’t get this award and I couldn’t do what I do if it wasn’t for my teammates ... and my coaching staff.”

Edgecombe Jr has 30 points as 76ers beat Celtics to tie first-round series

two steals with 12 of 20 field goals and six of 10 threes. Maxey also had nine assists as Philadelphia bounced back after getting blown out 123-91 in Game 1. Edgecombe played through the pain after taking a hard fall on his back early in the game. He limped off in noticeable pain and went straight to the locker room for treatment in both the first and third quarters. He returned each time and kept scoring

to help the 76ers build as much as a 13-point lead in the third. Edgecombe, the 20-yearold rookie guard and Rising Stars MVP who ended up with just two turnovers in the game, said as a team, they keep trusting each other. And he said they wanted him to shoot the ball. “I think we knew where the shots were going to come from,” Edgecombe said. “We kept trusting each other. Everyone can make a play on the court. ... They wanted me to shoot the ball.”

The Celtics cut a seven-point deficit at the start of the fourth quarter to 91-89 before an 11-0 run put the 76ers back in front 102-89 with just over four minutes to play.

The Celtics pulled their starters with a little more than a minute remaining.

Jayson Tatum contributed 19 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists.

Jaylen Brown, who led the Celtics with 36 points, said he thought Edgecombe was just too comfortable. “I thought Edgecombe was just too comfortable,”

Brown said. “He’s a rookie, but he can play. We’ve got to be better on him.”

After struggling from the field in Game 1, the 76ers needed much more from Maxey and Edgecombe. They got it, with the pair carrying the load for a team that shot 47.8% from the field, including 19 of 39 from the 3-point line.

“I grab (Edgecombe) and Tyrese together a lot and remind them to be super aggressive,” 76ers coach Nick Nurse said.

“Fire it up there, like keep shooting no matter what.”

Boston was only 13 of 47 from the 3-point line and shot 39.3% from the field overall, while committing 13 turnovers leading to 16 points by the 76ers. Philadelphia, which was again without centre Joel Embiid for Game 2 as he continues to go through a strength and conditioning programme following an appendectomy on April 9, was twice without Edgecombe for brief stretches last night. The intensity was high throughout the game. It hit a high point in the opening

minutes when Brown was assessed a technical foul after his emphatic onehanded dunk over Adem Bona that sent the 76ers big man to the floor. Replays appeared to show that Brown’s momentum after the jam carried him into contact with

in

didn’t see

Chelsea loses to Brighton in ‘indefensible’ performance as Champions League hopes hang by a thread

By JAMES ROBSON AP Soccer Writer

CHELSEA's season slumped deeper into crisis after a 3-0 defeat to Brighton yesterday left its hopes of Champions League qualification hanging by a thread.

The result leaves Chelsea seventh in the Premier League and seven points adrift of fifth place Liverpool having played a game more.

The top five qualify for the Champions League, but with just four more rounds of the season to go, Chelsea is on the verge of being cut adrift.

Goals from Ferdi Kadioglu, Jack Hinshelwood and Danny Welbeck at the AMEX Stadium did not reflect Brighton’s dominance on the night. Victory saw it leapfrog Chelsea and move up to sixth in the standings and boosted its own pursuit of European soccer next season.

“That was unacceptable in

every aspect of the game.

Unacceptable in attitudes. I keep coming out and defending the players, that’s indefensible that performance tonight,” Chelsea coach Liam Rosenior told Sky Sports. “Something needs to change drastically.”

It was a seventh loss in Chelsea's last eight games in all competitions. The team that was crowned Club World Cup champion less than a year ago has only won one of its last nine in the league.

It has lost its last five without scoring, which, according the league’s official stats provider Opta, is its worst run since 1912 — the same year the Titanic sank.

Rosenior said it was the most difficult night of his career.

“Some of the things I was witnessing today I never want to see again,” he said. Chelsea — a team that cost in excess of $1 billion to assemble — is now left facing up to the likelihood of missing out on the lucrative Champions League. While it has an FA Cup semifinal against Leeds on Sunday, its campaign has unravelled in recent weeks, including elimination from the Champions League at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain. The decision to let go of Club World

Cup-winning coach Enzo Marcesca in January now looks like a costly one, with his replacement Liam Rosenior overseeing the team’s slide. “I’ve discussed in depth about how this club, regardless of who’s the manager, what needs to happen at this football club for this club to be where it needs to be,” said Rosenior.

via AP)

"It’s not about me. It’s about this football club.

“Chelsea represents fight and spirit, determination, and that was lacking in every department this evening.” Liverpool plays Crystal Palace on Saturday. And they could move 10 points clear of Chelsea with a win.

Leicester relegated Former Premier League champion Leicester will be playing in English soccer's third division next season after being relegated from the Championship. The club that won the title at odds of 5000-1 in 2016 needed to beat Hull to keep alive its hopes of survival, but drew 2-2. Leicester, which was playing in England's top flight last season, also won the FA Cup in 2021. Wrexham promotion bid boosted Wrexham took advantage of Hull's draw to move into the playoff spots on goal difference.

A 1-0 win against Oxford lifted Wrexham above Hull and into sixth in the standings with two rounds to go in the Championship. Josh Windass' goal in the 40th minute was enough to seal victory. A 5-1 win for Coventry against Portsmouth confirmed the Championship title for Frank Lampard's team.

Karra Hanna first Bahamian woman to win medal in judo at Pan American Senior Championships

KARRA Hanna achieved yet another milestone, becoming the first Bahamian female judoka to capture a medal at the Pan American Senior Championships.

Hanna, accompanied by coach Willard McKenzie and male judokan Xavion Johnson, secured the bronze in the ladies +78 kilogram class in Panama over the weekend. On their return home on Monday, the 26-yearold Hanna said she was delighted to add the medal

to the bronze she won at the first Commonwealth Games held in The Bahamas in 2017. “It went really well. I’m really proud of the preparation that I took to get ready for the championships,” said Hanna, who spent the week prior training in the United States with Johnson’s coach Joshua White. “Within those five days, he really pushed me beyond my comfort zone and so it was really blessed that I was able to retain a lot of the information that he impacted on me.”