Soufouyè, Kachakou Épi Basketball (Part II)

Part I of the article began presenting on the introduction of competitive basketball to the Soufriere-Scott's Head area with the staging of the Keep Fit Club Basketball League. Part II continues with that competition.

Keep Fit Club Basketball League (Ctd): School Gems were also blown out by Seventy-Niners (84-16) and by Leopards (48-13). Meanwhile, Seventy-Niners inflicted a 50-19 blow-out on Fires, while Leopards extinguished Fires 55-28.

High-scorers in the Keep Fit Club Basketball League included, for Rebels: C. Tavernier, M. Jno. Baptiste, W. Jules and M. Andrew, with Jno. Baptiste and Tavernier hitting 48 and 44 Pts respectively in the same match – the highest individual player-scores in the competitions. For Leopards, the high-scorers were S. Birmingham, C. Samuel and G. Humphreys.

Leading scorers for 79ers were Peter Piper and F. Pacquette; for Police, L. Henderson and J. Popo led; for Fires, P. Tavernier and K. Morris; and for Scott's United, V. O'Brien.

The KFCBL received reasonable coverage in The New Chronicle with six full articles and part of another, being devoted to the Keep Fit Club basketball competitions. There was no further mention of KFCBL in the press beyond 1983.

Soufriere & Scott's Head Teams In National League: The first team from the Soufriere-Scott's Head area (SSHA) to enter the national basketball league was Windward Islands Aloes KEEP FITTERS. They debuted in 1985, two years after the Keep Fit Club Basketball League, played in the Intermediate Division (Division II) and survived only a single season.

From available records in The Chronicle, Keep Fitters did not fare out well in their few months on the Windsor Park hardcourt. They suffered relatively close losses to Blue Jays from Fond Colé (48-49), Lakers from Pottersville (51-53), and 66ers and Rammers from Grand Bay (46-51 and 50-56 respectively).

They experienced a worse defeat at the hands of Fond Canie's Shutters (51-73); were blown out by Castle Bruce (55-88) and Pros II (42-87); put on a "no-show" for their match against St. Mary's Academy (SMA); and walked off the court after a player was ejected from their game against Clouds who were leading 82-36, with 9 minutes 14 seconds remaining on the clock.

Keep Fitters' only win for which records are available was against Lakers, whom they defeated 62-52. Their high-scorers included S. Birmingham, G. Humphreys, C. Samuel and A. Tavernier.

Keep Fitters then passed the ball to Windward Islands Aloe CLIPPERS who debuted in DABA's 1986 League in "Intermediates"; they remained active for three seasons.

In Clippers' first year they completed their 14 League games with 4 Wins and 10 Losses, scored 608 points and conceded 660.

They suffered defeats from SMA (47-58), Pros II (36-70), Clouds II (55-59) in a "cliff-hanger" overtime encounter; Shutters 48-53; Hawks (45-49), and 66-ers (49-57). They did not show up for their match against Clifton Dupigny Community College.

Further, they were blown out by Eagles (47-68), and by Grand Bay's Ogan Stars 62-90 in the first DABA match ever played at Soufriere.

Clippers' first victory may have been against Dominica Grammar School, a 51-point blow-out (82-31). They also blew out Blue Jays 75-54, and were awarded the points against St. Joseph and Portsmouth who failed to show for their respective matches.

They knocked out SMA 79-63, then were themselves knocked out by Shutters by one point, 61-60.

High-scorers for Clippers in their maiden year were K. Birmingham, Steve Birmingham, T. F. Lewis, T. B. Morris, F. Pacquette, C. Samuel, G. Samuel and A. Tavernier.

In 1987 "Aloe Clippers" continued in the Intermediate Division and made history in local basketball when they became the first team from out of Roseau to capture the Division II Knockout Championship.

Onto 1988, we saw for the first time two SSHA teams participating in the national league. Windward Islands Aloes POPS made their debut in Division III, placing 4th from the eight teams with 3 wins, 3 losses, scoring 344 points in the League and conceding 348. They placed 6th in Free-Throw shooting, converting 42 from 89. From available records, Pops narrowly defeated Grand Bay's Smashers 87-84, blew out Prowlers III from Trafalgar 92-53, but were thrashed by Reefs from Roseau 91-64.

Clippers, the senior team from SSHA in 1988, placed 5th from 8 teams with 2 Wins, 3 Losses, scoring 475 Pts in their played games and conceding 347, for the highest Goal-Average of 1.369 in the Intermediate Division League. Coincidentally, Clippers scored the same number of Free-Throws as Pops, 42, but from more attempts (94). From available records in The Chronicle, they lost by 1-Pt to DGS (74-75), but blew out La Plaine's Bullets 100-60 and St. Joseph 88-53, in their final showing in DABA competitions.

Continues next edition