Tola Reign as King of the Court Caribbean Champions on Home Soil

Tola are $30,000 richer and the toast of the territory, holding off a game St. Thomas 74-67 in the championship contest to be crowned 2026 King of the Court Caribbean Champions before a packed Multi-Purpose Sports Complex on Sunday.
The hosts leaned on a powerful inside presence to defend home turf. Kalu Ezikpe (203-F, college: Cincinnati) rose to the occasion with a game-high 26 points and 11 rebounds, while the ever-reliable Deon Edwin (192-G-1992, college: Kent St.) poured in 23 points and grabbed eight boards. Eral Penn (201-F-1998, college: DePaul) chipped in 14 points and eight rebounds to round out the contributions. St. Thomas battled to the end behind Khamani Olivacce (14 points) and K'Nard Callender (12), but could not overhaul the Tortolans.
Tola had earned their place in the final the hard way, surviving a chaotic, last-second thriller against the Dominican Republic in the semifinals, 92-91. The visitors twice appeared to have stolen it in the dying seconds: after Edwin's two free throws nudged Tola ahead 92-91 with 14.6 seconds left, the Dominicans missed a drive, rebounded, missed again and finally put back a third attempt amid wild celebrations only for referee Norval A. Young to wave the basket off. After a delay of more than 10 minutes, including a crowd invasion, officials confirmed the shot clock had expired before the Dominicans' second attempt, and Tola were through. Edwin top-scored with 33 in that game, Penn added 29 and Ezikpe 12, while Juan de los Santos was magnificent in defeat with 44.
St. Thomas had reached the final far more comfortably, dismantling St. Eustatius 107-71 behind K'Nard Callender's 23 points and Khaleed Heywood's 20; Mike Miller led St. Eustatius with 25. There was no such joy for defending champions VG Bayside Blazers, who bowed out in the group stage.