Fatima claim U-17, U-20 Secondary School 3x3 Basketball titles

THE young basketballers from Fatima College displayed their dominance at the Southern Regional Indoor Sporting Arena, Pleasantville on November 16 when they copped the boys' under-17 and under-20 crowns at the TT Schools Basketball Association (TTSBA) 3x3 National Championships.

Defending champions in the 14-team under-17 division, Fatima showed their intent to walk away with silverware early on as they progressed to the semifinals with ease.

In their semifinal encounter, Fatima defeated fellow north zone school St Anthony's College by a 15-11 margin before edging Trinity College East 14-12 in an enthralling final.

Trinity advanced to the final after defeating St Benedict's College by a 7-6 margin in their semi. However, the "Blue Hawks" couldn't soar to the crown in their tussle with Fatima.

St Anthony's defeated St Benedict's in the third-place playoff.

In the under-20 division, which featured ten teams, Fatima rolled over Benedict's in the semifinal before getting by Hillview College in an intense final.

Led by the scoring prowess of Zachary Julien, Fatima spanked Benedict's by a 16-5 margin in the semis. And though they were pushed by Hillview in the final, the boys from Mucurapo Road lifted the under-20 title via a slender 13-11 win.

St Benedict's grabbed third spot in the under-20 division after defeating southern rivals Presentation College (San Fernando) by an 11-5 margin in the third place playoff.

Julien was in a class of his own for Fatima, and finished as the top-scorer in both the under-17 and under-20 divisions with 24 and 14 points respectively.

In the open female division, there were just two teams vying for honours, as East Mucurapo Secondary didn't feature as originally planned . Last year's champions Five Rivers Secondary had pulled out before the tourney because of funding issues.

The two competing schools engaged in a keenly contested best-of-three battle for the crown, with Holy Name Convent PoS ascending to the title after defeating Bishop Anstey High School in two straight games – 5-4 and 7-5. Holy Name's Ashaki Charles finished as the top-scorer with eight points.

The TTSBA will have its national opening on January 16, 2025 at the Maloney Indoor Sporting Arena, with the boys' under-17 knockout tournament being contested.