GUYANA’S women’s team dramatically secured the silver medal and punched their ticket to the 2026 CentroBasket Women’s Championship with a crucial 83-74 victory over Jamaica on the final night of the FIBA Caribbean Women’s Basketball Championship in Georgetown.
The win, earned in front of an electric home crowd at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall, secured second place for the hosts, who finished the five-team tournament with a strong 3-1 record.
The unbeaten champions, the US Virgin Islands, will join them, and the bronze- medal winners, The Bahamas, at the next major regional tournament.
With a ticket to the 2026 CentroBasket on the line, the final match of the tournament saw Guyana and Jamaica battle fiercely. The game remained tight through the first half before the hosts’ leading stars took control, powering Guyana’s decisive second-half push.
The tandem of Ruth Adams and Joy Brown proved too strong for the Jamaican defence. Adams led all scorers with 24 points, while captain Brown delivered a colossal performance, registering a double-double of 23 points and 17 rebounds. Brown’s all-round play was instrumental, and she was later recognised as the tournament’s leading rebounder.
Despite a standout 23-point effort from Jamaica’s Tiffany Reynolds, the Guyanese held firmly to secure the nine-point victory, sparking massive celebrations among the home support.
While Guyana celebrated its qualification, the Virgin Islands finished its campaign with a flawless 4-0 record to claim the gold medal comfortably.
In their final match, they overpowered the Bahamas 105-81, thanks to a monster effort from centre Anisha George. George was clinical, posting an incredible 26 points and 21 rebounds double-double, shooting 77% from the field. Her dominance earned her the Tournament’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) award.
The Bahamas (2-2) secured the final qualification spot and the bronze medal, with Lashann Higgs (37 points) and Valerie Nesbitt (32 points), impressing, despite the final loss to the champions.
Guyana’s memorable run was capped by the selection of two of their key players to the Tournament All-Star Five:
Joy Brown-Adams (Guyana), led the tournament in rebounding (12.8 boards per game) and contributed 16.8 points and 6.5 assists.
Amisha Ramlall (Guyana): Averaged a team-leading 19.3 points, proving to be one of the most impactful scorers for the silver medallists.
They were joined by MVP Anisha George (Virgin Islands), assistant-leader Valerie Nesbitt (Bahamas), and Tiffany Reynolds (Jamaica).