POSTED BY: Eurobasket News
Manuel Aponte
Group A
Argentina U17 - Ecuador U17 78:39
Argentina U17 National Team posted the fourth straight win at the South American Championship. Yesterday they held off Ecuador to remain on top of Pool A. Argentina thus secured the semifinal match-up against the second-placed team from Group B Venezuela. Ecuador on the other hand suffered the third loss in a row and remained at the bottom of the standings. They would have a chance to post the first win when they face Chile for the 5th-8th spot later tonight.
Argentina looked sloppy in the first half as Ecuador stayed close. Argentina had a huge advantage under the rim but Ecuador tried to stay calm and did not mistake too often. Argentinean team gained just a 3-point lead after the opening stanza. Ecuador did not allow their opponents to clear off substantially in the second term. Argentina led by 7 points at the interval before taking off in the second half. They thumped Ecuador 24:9 in the third frame and never looked back en route to a comfortable success.
Matias Bortolin (-93) stepped up with 13 points and 9 rebounds for Argentina. Juan Giaveno added 12 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists for the winning team. Ricky Tenorio (-93) answered with 9 points for Ecuador. Martin Obando canned 8 points in defeat.
Argentina U17: Matias Bortolin 13, Juan Giaveno 12, Marcos Delia 11, Fernando Podesta 11
Ecuador U17: Ricky Tenorio 9, Martin Obando 8
Uruguay U17 - Paraguay U17 82:59
Alex Alvarez (-93) unloaded 32 points to propel Uruguay U17 National Team to a decisive victory over Paraguay in the preliminary action of the South American Championship. Uruguay and Paraguay enjoyed 1-1 records prior to the game and needed a victory to advance into the semifinal stage. Uruguay proved the strength and booked the place in the semifinal to continue their fight for the qualification for Fiba Americas U18 championship to be held in 2010.
Uruguay did not waste too much jumping into an early lead. They looked aggressive and cruised to a 19-point advantage after ten minutes. Paraguay started to get back to life in the second frame as they slowed the hosts down. Uruguay however managed to win the quarter building a comfortable 23-point cushion at halftime. The second half did not chance the course of things in this one. The teams traded baskets throughout the second half as Uruguay kept Paraguay at safe distance. The home team drove to a vital win and made it to the tournaments semis. Mathias Calfani had 13 points, 14 rebounds and 7 assists for Uruguay. Diego Garcia delivered 12 points in the victory. Manuel Aponte (190-G-92) responded with 13 points for Paraguay. Carlos Luis Vallejos and Alex Emhart had 12 points apiece in the loss.
Uruguay U17: Alex Alvarez 32, Mathias Calfani 13+14 boards, Diego Garcia 12
Paraguay U17: Manuel Aponte 13, Carlos Luis Vallejos 12, Alex Emhart 12
Group B
Colombia U17 - Bolivia U17 70:50
Colombian U17 National Team delivered the initial victory at the South American Championship. They completed their Pool B action with a confident win over Bolivian counterparts. Colombia thus clinched the fourth spot in the group and would play against Paraguay for the 5th-8th spots. Bolivia stayed winless at the bottom of the ladder.
Bolivia looked better at the start of the game as they held their opponents to just 6 points in the starting frame. They grabbed a 9-point lead after ten minutes. But Colombia soon rebounded and overwhelmed Bolivia in the second term. Francisco Castro (-92) reigned in the paint and paced Colombia to a 28:26 lead at halftime. Colombian team continued to dominate after the major break as they cleared off to an 8-point distance with ten minutes to go. Bolivia were not able to recover and threaten the margin. Colombia had a comfortable advantage on the boards and coasted to the victory at the end. Francisco Castro came up with 19 points and 19 rebounds for the winners. Edwin Cortez added 15 points and 11 boards for Colombia. Gabriel Ramos (-92) answered with 16 points for Bolivia. Mauricio Tola had 11 points and 8 rebounds in defeat.
Colombia U17: Francisco Castro 19+19 boards, Edwin Cortez 15+11 boards, Simon Granados 12
Bolivia U17: Gabriel Ramos 16, Mauricio Tola 11
Brazil U17 - Venezuela U17 101:38
Brazil U17 gained the top spot in Group B of the South American Championship. They completed the preliminary round action with an outstanding victory against Venezuela claiming the fourth success in a row. Brazil are now scheduled to meet hosting Uruguay in the semifinal later today. Venezuela slipped at 3-1 record and finished in the second position. They would face Argentina in another semifinal clash tonight.
Brazil provided Venezuela with no chance in this one. They limited Venezuela to 8 points in the opening quarter to pile up a 14-point lead. The second frame brought no relief for Venezuela as they accounted for 9 points to trail by 31 at halftime. Brazil dominated in the paint and capitalized on 24 turnovers from their opponents. Venezuela also sank woeful 14% from the field. Venezuela came up with disastrous 6 points in the third quarter to enter the final term down by insurmountable 47 points. Brazil never loosened the grip easing to the stunning victory at the end.
Gabriel Aguirre (208-C-92) finished with 16 points for Brazil. Felipe Vezaro added 13 points, while Olintho Abrao had 12 points and 9 rebounds in the win. Edyn Calatayud (-93) had 9 points for Venezuela. Leonardo Betancourt finished with 6 points in defeat.
Brazil U17: Gabriel Aguirre 16, Felipe Vezaro 13, Olintho Abrao 12
Venezuela U17: Edyn Calatayud 9, Leonardo Betancourt 6
