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Big respect to Belize U17 Basketball Team in Puerto Rico

SportsBig respect to Belize U17 Basketball Team in Puerto Rico
Assistant coach Matthew Smiling and team captain Tariq Middleton were guests this morning on Krem’s WUB to give a wrap up on the National U17 Basketball Team’s commendable performance in the recently concluded 2011 Centrobasket Tournament, whose final games were played on Sunday, August 7, in front of a packed Fernando “Rube” Hernandez Coliseum in Gurabo, Puerto Rico, where the home fans saw their team demolish Mexico, 90-75, in the finals to take the gold medal of the tournament. Both 1st place Puerto Rico and 2nd place Mexico will go on to the 2012 FIBA Americas Championship, a qualifier for the basketball World Cup.
  
With an almost completely home-grown set of players, our Belize U17 basketball team, who took Silver at the Cocaba Tournament in May of this year, were no pushovers in Puerto Rico. Except for a sluggish opener on Wednesday, August 3, against Bahamas, where we lost 98-79, Belize was very much “in” every other game, either winning, or losing within a 4-point margin. We blasted Panama, 101-56, on Thursday; and lost to Mexico, 71-68, on Friday, to place 3rd in our 4-team group. Mexico and Bahamas went on to the semifinals along with U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico from the other group; while Belize and Panama joined Dominican Republic and British Virgin Islands in the bottom four, to battle for 5th, 6th and 7th place.
  
On Saturday, Belize dropped British Virgin Islands, 81-74; and in the final day of the tournament on Sunday, we lost, 85-81, to powerhouse Dominican Republic.
  
According to Matthew and Tariq, our team was dwarfed by the very tall players on the top teams; but the games were still close, showing that we have come a long, long way, even on the old dilapidated Civic floor.
  
In the first game on Sunday, British Virgin Islands won, 81-79, over Panama to claim 7th place; Panama finished 8th. Dominican Republic got the 85-81 win over Belize; they finished 5th and Belize in 6th place in the tournament. Next was U.S. Virgin Islands, 86-83, over Bahamas for 3rd place; Bahamas thus took 4th. And then was the championship match between Mexico and home team Puerto Rico. And the Puerto Ricans totally devasted Mexico from the opening buzzer, jumping out to a 31-7 first quarter lead, and coasting to a 90-75 final for the gold medal.
  
But, despite the size disadvantage, Belize players still figured prominently in the individual category ranking among all players from the 8 teams in the tournament. Tariq Middleton ranked 1st in 3-points made, 2nd in steals, 3rd in scoring average, and 7th in 3-pts average. Devin Daly was 2nd in scoring average, 2nd in rebounds, and 6th in blocked shots. And Brian White was 3rd in rebounds.
  
Hold your heads high, guys! We’re proud of you all! 

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