B-Ball Newsclips: 1980s & '90s

Part I of this article covered Dominica's basketball happenings for the period 1980-1985. The article continues below.

1986 * The four championships contested for among the two men's divisions go to one club. Eagles I captures the Division I League and Knockout Championships whilst their juniors, Eagles II perform a similar feat in Division II.

• For the first time ever a record fifteen (15) teams compete in DABA's Division II.

• Alice Jno. Jules hits the highest individual score by a Women's Division player when, under pouring rain she burnt 41 points for Radials in their 81-31 blow-out of Pros Sisters.

• A women's match, between Michelles and Pros Sisters, is played at Grand Bay but had to be called off in the second half because of rain.

1987 * Dominica successfully hosts the inaugural edition of the OECS Champion-of-Champion Basketball Tournament. The eight participating countries represented by 9 teams, were as follows: Antigua (Skillville), hosts Dominica (Cardinals and Eagles), Grenada (Super Honved), Montserrat (Alley Cats), Nevis (C.Y.B.F.Y.M.), St. Kitts (Ghetto Roots), St. Lucia (Ball Hawks), and St. Vincent & The Grenadines (Strikers). Ghetto Roots and Cardinals emerged champions and runners-up respectively. This was possibly the biggest basketball tournament ever in the OECS.

• The inaugural Secondary Schools' Basketball League is staged by the Sports Division in collaboration with the Dominica Amateur Basketball Association. Five teams participated in this inaugural competition, viz. Clifton Dupigny Community College, Dominica Community High School, Dominica Grammar School, St. Joseph Secondary School and St. Mary's Academy. St. Mary's Academy emerges champion. Meanwhile, Dominica Grammar School registered the first century in the league when they demolished St. Joseph Secondary by 93 points with a score of 104-11, and "College" registered the highest score in that year's league (141 points), versus 'Community High's 56.

• Team Dominica cops the basketball segment of the Windward Islands "Inter-Schools" Games in St. Lucia and performs that feat for the next few editions of those Games.

• Division II records its highest number of teams to date, i.e. 16.

• Windward Islands Aloes Clippers of Soufriere becomes the first team from outside of Roseau to capture the DABA Division II Knockout championship.

1988 * A record 36 teams playing in four divisions (No Women's Division in Reunion Year, 1988) compete for championships in their respective divisions. There was also a record 8 teams in Division III, and these came from Bath Estate, Goodwill, Grand Bay, Pottersville, Roseau, Soufriere and Trafalgar.

• DABA stages its first 16 & Under Basketball Championships, with Ball-o-Rama, League and Knockout competitions among four teams. St. Mary's Academy wins the Ball-o-rama and League competitions whilst Hoyas from Pottersville captured the Knockout trophy. The other participating teams were Dominica Grammar School and Grand Bay Primary School – the first primary school to compete in a DABA competition.

• Sixty-Sixers from Grand Bay becomes the first Division II basketball double-champions from out of Roseau, winning the League and Knockout competitions.

1989 * Roseau Boys' School becomes the second primary school team to compete in the DABA programme. They played in Division III.

• The Dominica Basketball Officials Association (DBOA) is established.

1990 * At least fifteen (15) centuries are registered by nine teams combined, in a total of thirteen matches in the DABA, Marigot/Wesley and School Leagues combined in 1990. From available information, these centuries were distributed as follows: 8 by five teams in DABA's Division I; 3 by two teams in Division II; 2 by different teams in the Schools' League; and 2 by a team in the Marigot/Wesley League.

Two of those triple-digit scores catch the attention of the press and are reported by The New Chronicle of 27th July as follows, "History of a sort was made in local basketball when, for the first time ever, both teams scored centuries in the same match in the Dominica Amateur Basketball Association league". That historic senior division encounter had seen Killer Bees defeating Lions 109 points to 100.

• Dominica is represented in three sub-regional basketball tournaments in one year for the first time. Firstly, Killer Bees, DABA's 1989 Division I League Champions, represented Dominica in the OECS Champion-of-Champion Clubs Tournament in St. Kitts. The "Bees" emerge 4th from the seven participating teams.

Three months later, Dominica placed 2nd in the Windward Islands Basketball Championships which were held in Grenada. Thirdly, Cardinals emerged 2nd from six teams in the first-ever OECS / Caribbean Club Championship which was staged in St. Lucia.

• In a 3-match weekend tour of Dominica by the St. Maarten National Team the Dominica National Team triumphed, playing undefeated in their two matches against that Dutch Antillean side. The latter also lost Game #3, to Cardinals.

Continues next edition