Royalty secures second victory over Coach KG Elite in Redemption Cup semis

The youthful Royalty basketball team secured their second consecutive victory over Coach KG Elite in the Redemption Cup playoffs, a competition designed for teams ranked fifth to eighth following the conclusion of the Kelvin Roberts North Zone Basketball Commission League regular season. The organisers have positioned the Cup as an opportunity for these teams to demonstrate improvement after missing qualification for the Big 4 championships.

As with previous encounters, the outcome of this closely contested rivalry was decided at the free-throw line in the closing seconds. During the regular season, seventh-seeded Royalty achieved a narrow 82-80 win, which they replicated with an 81-80 semi-final triumph over the sixth-seeded Elite on August 7.

Coach KG Elite entered the match buoyed by an upset win against the second-seeded Straker Nets and established an early lead, finishing the first quarter ahead 22-16 and extending it to 41-35 at halftime. Royalty responded strongly in the third quarter, outscoring their more experienced opponents 26-19—driven by Khushaiah King’s nine points and Jason Best’s eight—to edge ahead 61-60 entering the final period.

The fourth quarter was marked by sustained intensity, with both teams exchanging scores. With time waning, Elite regained a brief advantage at 81-79 through a field goal from Ajane Bechais, following a game-tying three-pointer from Royalty’s Christian Gillineau. Ultimately, Royalty prevailed by converting crucial free throws from Esan Babb and Khushaiah King, thereby securing their place in the Cup finals.

Christian Gillineau led Royalty with a game-high 22 points, supported by Khushaiah King with 20 points, including three three-pointers, and Jason Best contributing 12. For Elite, Kern George amassed 21 points, including three triples, with Jayden Roberts adding 18, Ajane Bechais 13, and Alexie Alexis 10.

Royalty will proceed to face the Spartans in the Redemption Cup (5th place), while Coach KG Elite is scheduled to play Basic Basketball Academy for 7th and 8th place on August 30 at the Woodbrook Youth Center, Port of Spain.

Semi-final 2:

Spartans TT Prevail Over BBA

In the second semi-final of the evening, fifth-seeded Spartans TT achieved a well-earned 74-66 victory against eight-seeded Basic Basketball Academy (BBA), thereby advancing to the Redemption Cup final. BBA will subsequently contest Coach KG Elite for seventh and eighth place.

From the outset, Spartans established control of the game, led by Williams Francis, who contributed 11 points—including three three-pointers—in the first quarter, resulting in a 24-21 lead and a 40-36 advantage at halftime. Adam Salazar spearheaded BBA’s resurgence during the third quarter, registering fourteen of his game-high 32 points and enabling BBA to secure a narrow 53-52 edge. In the decisive final period, Francis added nine additional points, ensuring Spartans’ progression to the final and an opportunity to conclude their season with a consolation title.

Francis led all scorers for Spartans with a total of 26 points, including five three-pointers, while Shornell Pompey and Jahiem Furlong contributed 17 and 13 points respectively. Jahamaul Graham was the top contributor for BBA with 14 points.