The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

DESPITE a single loss to Puerto Rico, the Bahamas was relegated to the fifth place game in the 2013 Men’s Under-17 Centrobasket Championships.

The Bahamas finished fifth at the tournament, with a 71-49 win over El Salvador, but failed to earn a qualifying spot for the 2014 Tournament of the Americas as one of the top three finishers.

Jordan Wilson finished with another double double – 16 points and 12 rebounds – to lead the Bahamas. Rashad Davis finished with 13 points, six rebounds and three blocks, Charles Bain added 10 points and seven rebounds, while Shakwon Lewis chipped in with nine points and 11 rebounds.

The Bahamas shot a respectable 44 per cent from the field while they held El Salvador to just 30 per cent.

Neither team shot well from beyond the arch or at the three-point line as the Bahamas finished 2-11 from three and 50 per cent from the free throw line, while El Salvador was 2-14 from distance and 41 per cent from the charity stripe.

A huge 31-rebound advantage on the boards was ultimately the deciding factor as it gave the Bahamas a statistical edge in several key categories.

With 57 rebounds to El Salvador’s 26, the Bahamas scored 54 points in the paint and 24 second chance points.

In contrast, the Spanish nation scored just 24 points in the paint and had 11 second chance points. Leonardo Hernandez was the lone player from El Salvador in double figures with 22 points.

Tied at 16 headed into the second quarter, the Bahamas took the lead for good in a low scoring second quarter which they won 12-7. They led 28-23 at the half.

The Bahamas opened the third on an 18-5 run to take a double digit lead for the frst time.

Onan Roberts’ layup gave the team an 18-point lead with 2:17 left to play in the period and they led 46-31 headed into the fourth.

El Salvador made a run in the fourth and trimmed the lead to seven on an R Alas basket with 6:16 left to play. It would be as close as they would get as the Bahamas closed the game on a 25-8 run to clinch fifth place.

Centrobasket is a FIBA-sponsored basketball tournament where national teams from Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean participate.

The top three or four teams typically earn berths to the FIBA Americas Championship, from which they can qualify for the FIBA World Championship or Olympics.

The top three teams from the Centrobasket Under-17 will qualify for the 2014 FIBA Americas Under-18 Championship to be hosted next year in San Antonio.

Teams qualify for these tournaments by finishing high (usually first or second place) in the previous Centrobasket or by placing high at the FIBA COCABA Championship for Mexico and the seven Central American countries and at the FIBA CBC Championship for the 24 Caribbean countries.

In total, 32 countries have an opportunity to qualify their national teams for the Centrobasket.