National Basketball Team loses game against Mexico
Team Belize suffered its first major loss in the Centro Basket Championship today at the hands of its archrival Mexico. The defeat can only be described as a crushing blow dealt to a team that made its debut on Monday in grand fashion by beating Trinidad & Tobago in the opener. It’s not the end of the road for the boys representing the Jewel but the current record of one win, one loss serves as a stark reminder that Belize faces stiff competition in Santo Domingo. Belize still has to play Cuba and Puerto Rico, and has to absolutely win their games in this series to move on to the other round of competition which is the Tournament of the Americas, the pre-qualifier for the 2012 Olympic games. News Five’s Isani Cayetano has the highlights from today’s game.
A nail biting first half during Belize’s match up against Mexico ended with a glimmer of hope for our national team which trailed by a single point after twenty-four minutes of regular time. Today’s game, like Monday’s face off with Trinidad, was a low scoring effort by both teams which struggled to convert possessions into numbers on the scoreboard.
Equalizing the score at nineteen apiece was Mexican center David Crausse who zeros in for a kisser off the glass. What seemed to have been killing team Belize on the floor were a succession of turnovers down court. Here we see Milton Palacio making an attempt to drive the ball through the paint. That effort instead leads to Mexico regaining possession of the ball and taking a two point lead seconds after tying the game.
Capitalizing on a steal minutes later was Milton Palacio who takes it all the way to the hole over Mexico’s Jovan Harris. The score at that point in the second quarter had the Green Machine up by one.
Equally detrimental was Belize’s failure to take advantage of free throw opportunities. Here Charles Burgess is only one of two from the line. Alex Carcamo, who approaches from the rear, reminds him that every point matters.
A few seconds before the half a timeout is called and both coaches regroup their players to draft up last minute plays to see how best they can either tie the game or widen the margin.
At the half Belize is down by one after Milton Palacio scored one of two buckets from the free throw line.
That difference would be the closest; Team Belize would get to a win over the Mexicans as the second half the local guys would not covert possessions into points.
Despite efforts by our national team to narrow the lead the baskets just weren’t dropping from behind the arc.
On the other end Mexico opened up a comfortable lead by as many as eighteen points in the third quarter. The score towards the end of that quarter was sixty-two to forty.
And so Belize took its first defeat at the hands of its rivals north of the border. When it was all said and done Belize was overwhelmed by a difference of twenty-three points with a final score of eighty-four to sixty-one. Both teams are now tied at one win and one loss each and are still eligible to advance in the tournament depending on the outcome of the upcoming games. Belize now faces Cuba tomorrow morning at eleven o’clock. Reporting for News Five I am Isani Cayetano.
We need a team that spends more time playing together so that they can learn to become one, A TEAM. The individuals…. need to tighten their basic skills. Explain Missing 12 FREE THROWS.
GO BELIZE GO GO GO GO!!!!!
I watched both games via the internet courtesy channel 5 and these are my observations. Let me start by giving moral support to team Belize for their effort and hard work thus far, and congrats on the victory over Trinidad and Tobago.
I must say though that i am not too impressed with their ability to handle the zone defences that they have been facing.
The numerous turn overs and subsequent poor shooting at the free throw line came back to haunt them big time in the game against Mexico. Coach Marquis Johnson has to find a way to counteract that type of defence and make the necessary adjustments against Cuba or it will be more of the same.
If Trini was a little more patient in their offense, they too would have beaten our Boys ,as a lot of their outside shots were not even contested . I would like to see way more aggression on defense, even if it means playing the bench much more. After all…….. is’nt that the reason they are on the team in the first place?
i say stop getting americans to play for belize..use the home ballys regardless they win or lose so you can develop a real national team. why we have to rely on americans to play for belize??
Well said, Earl… Can some1 explain why my Pride, my Belize can’t be on a champions well earned and mantain hold
On the matter of sports competition, the results of each game depens on so many factors; some of them related to the individual performance and will; others are related to the team as a whole. But the more important thing is, in my point of view, that all players deliver their best efforts, with a nice and clean game.