David RamiroTokyo, Sep 5 (EFE) .- A very bad third quarter condemned the Spanish wheelchair basketball team to fourth place in the Tokyo Paralympic Games, after losing against Great Britain in a duel marked by poor low accuracy the rim in the decisive minutes.
Wounded by the defeats against the United States, in the case of Spain, and against Japan of the British, the match for the bronze was the consolation for two teams who dreamed of something more in these Games.
The first quarter was a clash of forces, with two very strong defenses within the perimeter, which made the match very attractive without deciding either side.
That was also the trend in the next quarter, although Spain had a seven-point advantage driven by Alejandro Zarzuela and Asier García, although the emergence of Terry Bywater neutralized any hint of superior take-off on the scoreboard.
After the break, Great Britain came out with a different mentality, changed their way of playing, and caught Spain off guard, who did not know how to stop players like Gaz Choudhry, who led their team’s attack without encountering too much opposition due to the ease of finding shooting situations they had.
The continuous failures of Spain under the rim, together with the lack of success in the key moments in the rebounds, both offensive and defensive, condemned Oscar Trigo’s team, who in the final minutes tried with more intention than efficiency without at any time any hint of a possible comeback was seen.
Data sheet:
58 – Spain (13 + 17 + 10 + 18): Dani Stix, Alejandro Zarzuela (17), Amadou Diallo (11), Jordi Ruiz (8) and Asier García (8) -initial quintet- Fran Lara, David Mouriz (6 ), Oscar Onrubia, Ignacio Ortega, Manuel Lorenzo Díaz (8) and Agustín Alejos.
– Great Britain (13 + 15 + 22 + 18): Gaz Choudhry (19), Abdi Jama (8), Harrison Brown (2), Lee Manning (11) and Gregg Warburton (10) – starting five – Terry Bywater (14) ), Ian Sagar (2), Ben Fox (1), James Palmer (1) and James McSorley.
Referees: Matias Quintana (Argentina). Assistants Gustavo Mathias (Brazil) and Maurizio Zamponi (Italy).