A Bermuda basketball team have made a strong start to the Stanstead College March Madness Invitational Tournament in Canada.

Team Hurricane have racked up three wins in their opening four matches, with a heartbreaking loss in the final seconds to a Stanstead Select the only blot on an otherwise perfect start.

Standstead and Team Hurricane are no strangers to each other having played at the Thanksgiving Classic on the Island in 2013.

Their game on Standstead’s home court was just as close as those battles, with the home team winning a nail-bitter 55-54.

Trailing by as many as nine points in the second half, Hurricane battled back to take a 54-52 lead with less than a minute remaining in the game only to see Stanstead knock down a three-pointer with less than 20 seconds left on the clock.

Hurricane’s Darae Smith topped all scorers with 18 points, while Raushon Tankard and Jahmair Trott added 13 and 12 points respectively. Keith Montero led Stanstead with 16 points.

The Bermuda side bounced back, however, and knocked off Lower Canada College 55-35. Jorel Smith finished the game with 20 points while Sean Tucker chipped in 15. Darae Smith played another fine all around game and posted 16 points.

On the second day of action Hurricane picked up two more wins, beating Montreal area high schools, Chateauguay Valley Regional High School and Massey Vanier Regional at the W John Mackey Gymnasium on the campus of Stanstead College.

In their first game, Hurricane put on a dominating performance and soundly defeated Chateauguay Valley Regional High School, 84–47. Standout freshman Tucker, of Warwick Academy, poured in 24 points to lead all scorers, while Smith, of Berkeley Institute, contributed 18 points in the victory.

The second game of the day was a tightly contested affair in which Hurricane trailed for much of the game.

Late into the 3rd Quarter Hurricane found themselves behind by eight points, but the team was able to trim MVR’s lead and end the quarter only down 39-35. Defence reigned supreme in the final quarter, as Hurricane’s vaunted 2-3 zone kicked into gear, and MVR was held to four points in the quarter.