VFCSS Aim To Enhance Southern Basketball

A south-west derby kicked off Thursday’s doubleheader in the Under-19 Boys Schools Basketball Tournament, with Vieux Fort Comprehensive Secondary School (VFCSS) securing a 27-17 victory over Micoud Secondary School (MSS) at the Beausejour Gymnasium.

The boys in black and gold overcame an astounding 33 turnovers by pulling down 38 rebounds, 17 of them off the offensive glass. MSS recovered 18 of their misses, but they only had a meagre eight defensive boards. Micoud were also terrible from the field, shooting 8-51. Vieux Fort was a bit better, going 12-48. 

Leading the way for VFCSS was Joshua Deroses with 12 points and 19 rebounds. He added four steals, but unfortunately also tallied 11 turnovers. Josan Henry had six points, six rebounds, and three steals. Derville McFarlan paced MSS with eight points, three rebounds, and four steals.

“Overall, the boys played really well,” said Vieux Fort coach Ramani Lewis. “Outside the first quarter, they were a little nervous. But within the second quarter, almost, you’ll see that they shook it off a bit. We had a little bit of unnecessary turnovers, in my opinion. But we will definitely be working on that. 

“But other than that, they played really well. They played aggressive, they got some open looks, they made a lot of baskets. So we will just work on the basics that did not really fall through.”

Lewis said the team has come a long way since starting training in September. She admitted that a number of the boys had not had a great deal of familiarity with the game. The poor state of the Vieux Fort court has led southern hoopers to make greater use of the Laborie court. But hopes are high for the revival of the game in Vieux Fort Town.

“Basketball in Vieux Fort had been kind of absent. We are planning on bringing it back,” said Lewis. “Last weekend, we actually had a festival; it took place in Laborie, where a bunch of different players – past Vieux Fort players, NBC, Run ‘n’ Gun, all those other teams – came to play against each other. It was a nice little festival; just a fun thing to get together.”

With the growth of the programme at VFCSS, which will soon incorporate girls as well, Lewis is hopeful that the Beanfield court will receive much-needed attention from central government. This, she said, will allow for better preparation of the school teams, more community competitions, and the resurrection of basketball in the south.

Game 2: Sir Arthur Lewis Community College 64-30 Patricia D James Secondary School.

Photo caption: Josan Hendy at the line for Vieux Fort Comprehensive Secondary School.