US Supremacy Continues in U16 Americas Championship
A roundup of all the action at the FIBA U16 Americas Women's Championship
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The United States won their sixth U16 Americas Women’s Championship in convincing style last week, beating Canada 118-45 in the final match held in Guanajuato, Mexico under a ‘bubble’ format. Canada’s 45 points were the most any opponent put up against the mighty United States team in this tournament. Eight teams fought it out for the title of the best in the Americas from August 23 - 29 and the top four finishers qualified for the 2022 FIBA U17 World Cup.
Early Rounds
The eight teams that qualified through the Nike Youth Rankings for each sub-zone were divided into two groups. Group A comprised Brazil, Canada, Costa Rica and Puerto Rico while Group B included Argentina, Chile, the United States and Mexico. Each team played the other three teams in their group once to establish the bracket for the knockout stage. Canada reigned over Group A winning all their group stage matches. Cassandre Prosper, Canada’s forward was the highlight of the group, tied for most points scored in the group stage. Meanwhile, the US completely dominated Group B, beating Argentina, Mexico and Chile by wide margins. Juju Watkins, forward from the US, emerged as the star performer in her team after being tied with Prosper for highest points scored, while also averaging five rebounds a game.
In the quarterfinals, Canada easily defeated Chile 76-25 while Argentina got the better of Brazil in a close game 56-54. Mexico won in a buzzer-beater at home against Puerto Rico 67-66 and the United States dominated over Costa Rica 121-12, and no, that is not a typo, they won by 109 points.
The US and Canada breezed through the semifinals as well. Canada’s 74-47 win over Argentina was built on a tight defense and an offense that capitalized on second chances (32 offensive rebounds) and points from turnovers (35 points). Canada’s Cassandre Prosper finished with a double-double scoring 13 points and grabbing 13 rebounds. Meanwhile, Team USA continued their assertive form as they beat Mexico 121-30 in another one-sided game. The defending champions scored 51 points off of turnovers while committing only five turnovers in total. The lead scorer of the match was Breya Cunningham, the forward from San Diego, with 18 points and seven rebounds.
In the bronze medal match, host Mexico won against Argentina 72-65 in a well-fought match. Argentina started off strong and allowed Mexico just a one-point lead by halftime. But Mexico widened the lead in the third quarter and Argentina couldn’t close the gap. The home crowd and Loriette Maciel’s 23 points proved to be Mexico’s strengths in the final showdown.
The Final
The United States were always the favorite for the title. They had won the trophy five out of the last six times entering the tournament, with Canada the only other team to win it in 2015 behind Alyssa Jerome’s 17 points and 12 rebounds against Brazil in the final.
Team USA held Canada to just 13 points in the first quarter while scoring 25 points themselves, which came as no surprise looking at their form leading up to the final. They continued their dominance and scored 31 points in each of the remaining three quarters, winning the match 118-45. The team outshined the Canadians with 50 points scored off of turnovers and 35 points from fast breaks. The US also improved on the 2019 team’s all-time tournament scoring record of 618 points by 100 points, scoring 718 points over six games. Their average of 119.7 points per game topped the previous record of 108.6 set by Team US in 2009, by a whopping 10%.
The MVP of the Tournament
Team USA’s star guard Juju Watkins was named MVP for the tournament. Pegged as the No. 1 prospect in the Class of 2023, Watkins was the highest scorer with 120 points in six games. Not just that, her 28 points in 18 minutes of gameplay in the final against Canada broke the record for the most points in a single game set by Asia Durr in 2013 when she scored 26 against Canada. Additionally, Watkins set new records for steals per game at 5.2 (previously held by Azzi Fudd at 3.4 in 2017) and points per game at 20.0 (previously held by Durr with 18.4 in 2013). It was Watkins’ all-rounded performance on offense as well as on defense that separated her from others in a team full of talented players.
Tournament’s All-Star Five
Payton Verhulst (US), last edition’s MVP, Lauren Betts (US), Sonia Cintron (US), Isaline Alexander (Canada) and Fernanda Ovalle (Chile) made it to the All-Star Team in 2019. This year, there are no prizes for guessing that Juju Watkins made it to FIBA’s All-Star Five. Her teammate Jada Williams also made it to the elite list after contributing 8 assists and 10 points in the gold medal game. Canada’s forward Cassandre Prosper, who led her team offensively, made it to the Top 5. She scored in double figures in all her games and managed 13 points and 5 rebounds in the final. Also on the list was Mexico’s top shooter Loriette Maciel, who averaged 12.5 points per game and scored a game-high 23 points in the bronze medal match. The final player on this list was Taissa Nascimento Queiroz from Brazil. She put up an all-around performance for her team averaging 12.3 points and 14 rebounds per game.
With the 2021 championship, the United States reaffirmed their supremacy in U16 Americas basketball having won 3 consecutive gold medals. Canada, Mexico and Argentina ensured their qualifications for the FIBA U17 World Cup next year.
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