Despite a big night from Randy 'Chino' George, BVI were narrowly defeated by Barbados in the CBC Championship at the Multi-Purpose Sports Complex in Road Town on June 17, 2015. Photo: Charlie E. Jackson/VINO

Norville 'Banana' Carey and Randy 'Chino' George battle a Barbados player for a rebound. Photo: Kevin Dawson

It was an inspirational display by the BVI boys although coming up short against Barbados. Photo: Kevin Dawson

The BVI missed a series of good chances to net the winner, with three attempts to score all going abegging until the buzzer sounded. Photo: Kevin Dawson

Up 14-9 at the end of the first quarter, behind 45-32 at the half, and down by 15 at the beginning of the fourth quarter, the host nation got some inspiration from Bjorn Caleb, who struck back to back two’s to shift the momentum of the game.

Franklyn Penn Junior then brought the crowd to their feet with a two and a big shot from down town to make it a 10-point game. Kennedy H. Bass also went in from long range to bring the scores even closer and the BVI went ahead, 73-71, on another three from Kilven Samuel with 1:50 left on the clock.

Barbados went back into the lead on a series of free throws and a three from Keefe Birkett to make the score 77-76 with less than a minute to play

The BVI then missed a series of good chances to net the winner, with three attempts to score all going abegging until the buzzer sounded.

Randy 'Chino' George finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds, Penn Junior 15 points, Samuel 12 with 7 rebounds and Steve E. Parillon 11

For Barbados, Birkett finished with 31 points and David Gill, 16.

Bermuda beat Guyana

Earlier, Bermuda, after briefly giving up the lead in the second half, upped its preliminary round record to 1-1 at the 2015 Caribbean Basketball Confederation Men’s Championship with a 74-65 victory over Guyana.

Bermuda led 15-9 after the first quarter and, after a Keron McKenzie three-pointer tied it for Guyana at 4:08 mark of the second, closed out the half on a 9-2 run to lead 32-23 at halftime.

Gordon James then gave Guyana its first lead since midway through the first quarter with a three-point play to make it 38-36 with 5:06 left in the third. But Bermuda went on a 5-0 run of its own to retake the lead. A three-pointer by Jason Simons, with :40 left in the third, stretched the lead to seven before the quarter ended with Bermuda up 50-45.

James got his team to within two with another three-point play at the 7:01 mark of the fourth, making the score 52-50, and then to within four at 61-57 with 4:19 to play, but Guyana would get no closer, scoring just two points over the next 2:19 minutes.

Sullivan Philips led Bermuda with 24 points and 11 rebounds. Christopher Crumpler scored 16, and Yusef Riley added 11. James led Guyana with 22 points. Akeem Kanhai pulled down 12 rebounds.