The selection of Ecuador claimed third place in the FIBA U-18 South American Championship on Saturdaywhich was played in Venezuela, after defeat Uruguay 63-60.
with the win, the tricolor quintetfor the second time in its history, achieved the qualification to the FIBA Americas U-18 Championshipscheduled for the month of June, in Brazil.
The game, played at the Papá Carrillo gym in Caracas, was even, without getting the teams wide differences on the marker.
Ecuador went from less to more in the game and With three minutes to go, point guard Janer Arcila equalized the score at 57 points, and then it was a basket by center Joseph Caicedo that put Ecuador to win.
In the final seconds, two free kicks by Arcila extended the tricolor advantage. Uruguay went up 63-60, but on the last possession of the game Guzmán Vasilic missed his triple attempt and this unleashed the Ecuadorian celebration.
“It’s all to the boys’ creditwe are very happy to be able to participate in a FIBA Americas Under-18 Championship. This triumph is for an entire country who is happy for us and all the boys who stayed on the road”, commented the Trainer Lucas Gil.
“We made history and I have no wordsI’m just grateful to this team that set out to reach the top. We managed to fulfill this dream. It’s a great feat for my career.” Arcila said, who finished the game with 13 points and seven rebounds, in a match where Ecuador was able to take advantage of their opponent’s 24 turnovers to score 32 points.
With the classification, another achievement achieved by the national quintet was to put Joseph Caicedo as part of the ideal team of the tournament.
“The center showed tremendous versatility, scoring under the basket and from long distance”, pointed out the organization of the tournament.
Together with Arcila, Caicedo was essential for Ecuador to get on the podium.
Arcila finished as “tournament leader in scoring (16.2 units) and triples (from 15-7 for 47%) and second in rebounds (8.4)”, the organization outlined.
The title remained in the hands of Brazil, squad that beat Argentina 73-59 in the final. The one in 2022 was the second consecutive title for the Brazilian team and the fourth in its history, behind Argentina, which has eight in its history. (D)
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Ecuador gets bronze and qualification for the under-18 basketball pre-world championship | Other Sports | sports