Buenos Aires produced a fitting finale to the Youth BCL Americas, with Paulistano erasing a 16-point deficit to beat Obras Sanitarias 74-69 for the championship, and Defensor Sporting holding off a furious Academy of Central Florida rally to take bronze, 61-58, in a game that went down to the final possession.
Obras Sanitarias controlled the final for the better part of three quarters, building a 13-point cushion in the second quarter on a 12-0 run fueled by Luka Garcia and taking a 42-32 lead into the break; the gap reached its widest, 16 points, with 2:07 left in the second quarter. Paulistano chipped away steadily rather than in one decisive burst, and the game turned in the fourth quarter: trailing 54-61, they ran off ten unanswered points from 8:47 to 5:34 remaining to lead 64-61, then Pietro Melo (185-G-2008)'s pull-up three-pointer with 6:25 left - his team's first lead since the opening quarter - made it 62-61 in what proved the moment of the game. Paulistano's advantage swelled to eight, 71-63, with 1:41 to play, and though Obras clawed back some of the margin, Paulistano closed out the 74-69 win to claim the title. Melo finished with a game-high 23 points, and Lucas Bertato (185-G/F-2007) added a 19-point, 10-rebound double-double with 3 steals; Pedro Alves (206-C-2008) controlled the glass with 17 rebounds. Elias Torrens (203-C-2008) led Obras Sanitarias in defeat with 15 points and 16 rebounds.
The bronze-medal game was, if anything, tighter still. Defensor Sporting seized control in the third quarter with a 17-0 run - Fabricio De Leon (204-C-2007) at the heart of it - that turned a two-point deficit into a 15-point lead, 49-34, and appeared to have the game in hand. Academy of Central Florida had other ideas, closing to within one after a 9-0 fourth-quarter run led by Lilian Tchabo (203-F-2008), and RJ Evans (201-F-2011)'s three-pointer with 4:20 left completed the full comeback, putting Academy of Central Florida ahead 58-57. Defensor Sporting answered to retake the lead, and with 43 seconds remaining Evans missed a three that would have put his team back in front; Defensor Sporting grabbed the rebound and closed the game out at the free-throw line and on the defensive glass to win 61-58. Manuel Pastrana (185-G-2009) led all scorers with 24 points, 11 rebounds and 2 steals for Defensor Sporting, with Fabricio De Leon adding 9 points and 15 rebounds and Thiago Michaelsson (192-F-2008) contributing 9 points and 5 steals; Melvin Soto (191-G-2007) was named Crunch Time MVP for his defensive work in the final five minutes. Lilian Tchabo led Academy of Central Florida with 16 points, 11 rebounds and 3 assists in the loss.