Belize down Panama 78-67 on opening night of FIBA U17 Boys CentroBasket Championship, face Jamaica on Thursday

Published by BBNTEAM at July 27, 2023

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Posted: Thursday, July 27, 2023. 10:24 am CST.

Photos Credit: FIBA

By Rubén Morales Iglesias: Belize’s Basketball National Team opened the FIBA Boys Under 17 CentroBasket Championship with a convincing 78-67 win over Panama on Wednesday night at the Belize City Civic Center.

Belize recovered from a slow start in the first quarter in which they trailed 21-16 and dominated the rest of the game, despite Panama’s late surge in the fourth quarter.

Douglas Langford Jr and Elijah Favela were the standout performers for Belize, with Langford posting a double-double of 17 points and 18 rebounds, along with three assists, four steals, and five blocks.

Favela led the scoring with 18 points, and added four rebounds, two assists, and two steals.
Devin Moody also had a double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds and dished out four assists.

Wilford Dawson chipped in with six points, 10 rebounds, and three assists. Michael Caceres contributed 10 points and two rebounds.

Panama’s Lionel McDonald was the game’s top scorer with 29 points. He also posted seven rebounds, three assists, and seven steals.

Belize had a slight edge in field goal percentage, shooting 38% to Panama’s 37%.

Belize and Panama had a close game in terms of shooting percentage, with Belize slightly edging Panama 38% to 37%. However, Belize dominated the boards with 66 rebounds compared to Panama’s 44. Belize also committed more turnovers than Panama, 27 to 19.

Belize will face a tough challenge against Jamaica, who are hurting after being blown out by defending champions Puerto Rico 102-54, on Thursday at 8:30. Panama will try to bounce back against the defending champions Puerto Rico who started out hammering Jamaica on Wednesday night.

In Group A, the Dominican Republic and Mexico showed their superiority over Costa Rica and Guatemala, respectively, with both winning by more than 50 points. The Dominican Republic massacred Costa Rica 102-51 while Mexico dumped El Salvador 99-48.

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