Bahamas Looks to Protect Home Court Against Panama

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NASSAU, BAHAMAS – VJ Edgecombe is back, and the timing couldn’t be better.

Team Bahamas returns home tonight to face Panama in the second round of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 Americas Qualifiers, with a crucial opportunity to strengthen its position in the qualification race.

The Bahamas enters the game 3-4 and fourth in group F, while Panama is 2-5 and sixth.

Canada leads the group at 7-0, followed by Argentina at 6-1 and Uruguay at 5-2.

Puerto Rico is also 2-5, which makes tonight’s matchup particularly important.

Under the FIBA format, the top three teams in each second-round group qualify directly for the 2027 World Cup, while the best fourth-place team between the two groups also earns a berth.

The Americas will send seven teams to the World Cup.

So for The Bahamas, a win tonight would move the team to 4-4, keep it within reach of the top three, and at minimum, strengthen its position in the fourth-place race.

A loss, however, would drop The Bahamas to 3-5 and allow Panama to draw level at 3-5, making the road to qualification even more difficult.

But, that’s where Edgecombe comes in.

The Philadelphia 76ers rookie missed Thursday’s 103-94 road win over Uruguay, but returns to a team that just showed it can win in hostile territory without him.

His numbers through the qualifiers show just how much he can add.

Edgecombe is averaging 22.5 points, 7 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 4.5 steals per game, making him one of The Bahamas’ most important two-way players.

The Bahamas will also have the confidence of that Uruguay victory.

Despite being shorthanded, the team built a 17-point lead, watched Uruguay come back to take a fourth-quarter lead, then closed the game on a 14-4 run.

Buddy Hield led the way with 28 points, Domnick Bridgewater had 25 points and nine assists, and Isaiah Mobley added 18.

Now, add Edgecombe back into that group.

A win tonight would not qualify The Bahamas for the World Cup but it would put the team in a much stronger position with four windows still remaining in the campaign.

Chisholm Reaches 40 Steals Again

Jazz Chisholm Jr. has reached 40 stolen bases for the third time in his career, putting his elite speed on display in the New York Yankees’ 16-1 rout of the Boston Red Sox Sunday.

Chisholm went 2-3 with two walks, three runs scored and two stolen bases, reaching base four times in the blowout victory.

The two steals came in the eighth inning, with Chisholm swiping second and then third to move from 38 to 40 for the season.

The milestone continues what has become one of the most consistent parts of Chisholm’s game.

He stole 40 bases in 2024, followed that with 31 last season, and now has 40 again in 2026.

That gives him at least 30 steals in three consecutive seasons.

He has also combined that speed with power, including a 2025 season in which he hit 31 home runs, and stole 31 bases to become just the third Yankee to record a 30-home run, 30-stolen base season.

Sunday’s performance also came as the Yankees put together their most dominant offensive showing of the series, scoring 16 runs on their way to taking three of four from Boston and clinching the season-series tiebreaker, 7-6.

The Yankees have now won 10 of their last 14 games and hold a four-game lead over Boston for the American League’s top wild-card spot.

Lockhart Makes His Mark at WSK Final Cup in Italy

Lockhart is currently competing at the WSK Final Cup in Franciacorta, racing for Parolin Motorsport in the mini grade 3 category.

The opening round featured about 300 drivers from 56 countries, with some of the best young kart racers in the world showing up in Italy.

After the qualifying heats, the Bahamian was listed among the top mini grade 3 drivers heading into the final phase, with five points from his A-B group.

This is Lockharts first season as a factory driver for Parolin racing in Italy.

He’s already picked up top-seven and top-ten results this season, including a seventh-place finish at the WSK Euro Series round at South Garda and ninth at Cremona.

All apart of that journey to reach the formula one dream.