Day 2 of the 26th edition of Basketball Travelers Inc.’s Paradise Jam brought highly competitive collegiate and high school games to the University of the Virgin Islands’ Elridge W. Blake Sports and Fitness Center on Saturday.
GAME 5 – Green Bay 79 – University of Massachusetts 75
The dynamic duo of Justin Allen and C.J. O’Hara fueled Green Bay’s win over the University of Massachusetts (UMass) on Day 2 of the 2025 Paradise Jam. The Minutemen of UMass marched out to a 5-0 early advantage. However, the Minutemen had no answer for O’Hara as he scored 21 points for Green Bay. His teammate Allen was the game’s leading performer with 27 points. Leonardo Bettiol led Umass with 21 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists. Marcus Banks added 19 points for the Minutemen.
GAME 6 – Iona 91 – Oregon State 84
It wasn’t a pleasant day in paradise for the Beavers of Oregon State as they built a concrete 19-point lead with under 11 minutes to go in the game, only to have the Gaels of Iona methodically chip away until the dam burst in double overtime. The Beavers were in control for much of this contest, nursing a 5-point advantage with under one minute to go in regulation. C.J. Anthony hit two clutch free throws, and the Iona defense held, prompting Coach Dan Geriot to call a timeout. Senior forward Luke Jungers was “as cool as the other side of the pillow,” coined by Stuart Scott, as he nailed the game-tying 3-point basket with under five seconds to go in the regulation. The Beavers were up two with less than 10 seconds to go in the first overtime, but they fouled Anthony. Once again, Anthony made both free throws. In the second overtime, Iona finished the game on a 10-0 run, giving them a hard-fought 91-84 victory. Anthony scored 22 points for Iona, while Noah Amenhauser dropped 20 for the Beavers.
Local High School Game – CAHS 64 – IEKHS 61
The final game of the evening featured the local public high schools, Charlotte Amalie High School (CAHS) Chicken Hawks, versus Ivanna Eudora Kean High School (IEKHS) Dynamic Rays. It was the first game of the season for both teams, and they were working out the kinks. CAHS found its rhythm early, instituting its full-court press and taking a 5-point lead after the first eight minutes of play. The Rays did a much better job handling the pressure and took a 4-point advantage into intermission. During halftime, the Lady Hawks and the Lady Rays had a mini exhibition game. They played two eight-minute halves. IEKHS won the girls’ game 15-4. CAHS dialed back up the pressure in the second half, giving the Hawks the 3-point victory. Kareem Turnquest was the top scorer for CAHS with 18 points. Cameron Hill was the game’s top performer, scoring 23.
The tournament continues on Sunday, Nov. 23, with two tournament games at the Elridge Blake Sports and Fitness Center. Yale will play Charleston at 6:30 p.m. Akron will take on Evansville at 9 p.m.
