Basketball team beats Mexico, next faces Puerto Rico

There’s good news and bad news out of Maracaibo, Venezuela tonight, where a Belizean delegation is taking part in the Caribbean and Central American Games. The good news is that the highly touted men’s basketball team has finally won its first game, and as a result will qualify for the final round. The bad news is that their first and perhaps only opponent in that round will be tournament favorite, Puerto Rico. Belize’s big win came on Friday night when the golden boys, previously tarnished by two straight defeats, dropped Mexico by a score of 66 – 61. Dwight Myvette scored 18 followed by Milton Palacio with 13 and Keith Acosta with 11. On Saturday, however, Belize lost a heartbreaker to the Dominican Republic, 68 – 66, as a Belizean three pointer failed to find the range in the closing seconds. That concluded the first round of play in which Belize was the last qualifier in group B with a 1 and 3 record. As the lowest seed from the group Belize will face the top seed from group A, Puerto Rico, on Tuesday evening at six Venezuela time, that’s four Belize time.