Gellineau leads Royalty to Redemption Cup Glory; Coach KG Elite Rallies Past BBA

Port of Spain, Aug. 30 — The Redemption Cup lived up to its name as seventh-seeded Royalty shocked fifth-ranked Spartans TT 86–78 to claim the title in the Kelvin Roberts North Zone Basketball Commission League, First Division at the Woodbrook Youth Center. The special postseason event featured teams finishing 5th–8th in the regular season, all battling for a shot at redemption. In the opening game of the doubleheader, Coach KG Elite overcame a sluggish start to edge Basic Basketball Academy (BBA) 64–59.

Royalty 86 – Spartans TT 78

Royalty’s run to the Redemption Cup was capped by a star performance from Christian Gellineau, who poured in a team-high 19 points, including nine in the decisive fourth quarter.

Spartans TT came out firing, riding veteran Shonell Pompey’s early scoring (6 pts including 1 three) burst to a 20–13 first-quarter lead. But Royalty punched back in the second frame, with Gellineau (10 pts, 2 threes) and Isiah Mitchell (9 pts) sparking a dominant 32–16 run that flipped the game and gave them a 45–36 halftime advantage.

Spartans clawed back in the third behind balanced scoring, but Royalty’s composure, anchored by Gellineau, kept them ahead 65–53 entering the final period.

With the Redemption Cup and improved league standing on the line, Royalty sealed the deal late. Gellineau scored nine in the fourth and fittingly iced the game with two free throws in the closing seconds.

Top Performers – Royalty: Gellineau 19 pts, Mitchell 14 pts
Top Performers – Spartans TT: Jahiem Furlonge 17 pts, Therod Evelyn 13 pts

Quarter Scores:

1st: Royalty 13 – Spartans TT 20

2nd: Royalty 32 – Spartans TT 16 (Halftime: Royalty 45–36)

3rd: Royalty 20 – Spartans TT 17 (Royalty 65–53)

4th: Royalty 21 – Spartans TT 25 (Final: Royalty 86–78)

Coach KG Elite 64 – Basic Basketball Academy 59

The night’s opener saw Coach KG Elite mount a furious second-half comeback to stun Basic Basketball Academy and secure seventh place in the standings.

BBA dominated the first half behind an explosive performance from Adam Salazar, who scored 16 points by the break (10 in the second quarter, including two threes). His scoring surge powered BBA to a 38–25 halftime lead.

Elite refused to fold. In the third quarter, Kern George and Alexie Alexis chipped in five points apiece, sparking a rally that cut the deficit to seven, 47–40.

The final quarter belonged to Elite. Aheem Boyd erupted for 10 points, while George added nine as Elite outscored BBA 24–12 in the frame. Despite Salazar’s heroic 28-point effort, including a late three, Elite’s balanced attack proved too much.

Top Performers – Coach KG Elite: Boyd 19 pts (2 threes), George 17 pts
Top Performer – BBA: Salazar 28 pts (3 threes)

Quarter Scores:

1st: Elite 10 – BBA 15

2nd: Elite 15 – BBA 23 (Halftime: BBA 38–25)

3rd: Elite 15 – BBA 9 (BBA 47–40)

4th: Elite 24 – BBA 12 (Final: Elite 64–59)

With Royalty lifting the Redemption Cup and Coach KG Elite rallying to finish strong, the bottom half of the table proved that pride, momentum, and redemption can drive postseason basketball as much as a championship chase.