2018 FIBA Americas League Group F Full Report
The four teams where whittled down to two at the end of another intense three days of basketball in the Americas League, with the last spots in this year's Final Four up for grabs.
Group F was hosted by Regatas Corrientes, who won Group C, ahead of fellow Argentinians Concordia. Joining them from Group D were winners, Guaros de Lara from Venezuela, and runners-up Bauru of Brazil. With this new group made up of south america's finest sides, this looked to be the most contentious four-way battle of this year's competition.
With little to choose between the teams, the basketball would be doing all the talking.
Guaros de Lara came out firing against Concordia, but the Argentine side took the lead early on with good play in the low post. Guaros had some room to make up, but Luis Bethelmy's three-point shooting went a long way in keeping the scores tight. The Venezuelan team briefly led in the third by one, but a layup from Concordia's Jaisel Rivero tied the scores ahead of the fourth quarter.
In the final period the teams exchanged baskets, then Anthony Smith and Clay Tucker beat Guaros at their own game - knocking down two shots from long distance to eventually take Concordia eight points clear. Guaros had the best looks in the stilted remainder of the game, with both teams trying to hold of the other as much as possible. Despite a bad finish, Concordia finished on top 77 to 71, with Smith topping all scorers with 21 points.
Meanwhile, Bauru got off eight points in the first three minutes, but it didn’t take long for Regatas Corrientes’ shooters to flip the scoreline. After which Bauru's presence in the game completely changed - shot after shot fell short for Bauru. The closest they got to Corrientes was in the second quarter, when Eduardo Machado reduced the deficit to three. Corrientes took advantage of their opponents lack of consistency and started making shots both from long range and in the paint. With eleven threes, two thirds of all shots from short range made and Alfredo Quinteros and Brandon Thomas both scoring over twenty points, Corrientes kept their unbeaten run in the competition alive with a 92-84 win. Alex Garcia picked up 21 points for Bauru in the loss.
On day two, Guaros went 7-0 up in the first minute against Bauru, with Jose Vargas bouying his team with consistent scoring inside the arc. Bauru's shooters responded when down, leading to a heated second period where both teams were separated by a single basket. Guaros went six points clear, but a seven point run from Bauru saw them in the lead by one going into half time - now Guaros were playing catch up.
Six unanswered from Guaros tied the scores at the end of the third, but Bauru's three pointers were unrelenting - the team finished with 19 threes. Bauru's Rafael Hettsheimer was the stand-out with 24, while his team mates Eduardo Machado and Alex Garcia put in equally execptional performances. Heissler Guillent made a last-minute attempt to win it for Guaros, but it was not enough. Bauru took an important win, 81-77, and Guaros's fate was now out of their hands.
The next game saw Regatas Corrientes playing well in the paint early on, while nine from three-point territory from Concordia saw the teams level after the first ten minutes. Corrientes started to break away in the next period, scoring seventeen points in the last six minutes of Q2, which saw them up by nine at half time. Following that, a huge third quarter in which the home team outscored Concordia 24 points to 8 would clinch the game for them. Four Corrientes players finished in double figures, with Fabian Ramirez leading all with 14 points and 8 rebounds off the bench. Thirty was the eventual gap between the teams - a lead that Corrientes had six times in the fourth quarter. Winning 91-61, Corrientes secured their place in the Final Four.
Day three's opener between Bauru and Concordia was winner-takes-all: with both teams on one win and one loss, the victors of this game would win the remaining place in the Final Four. Bauru got off and running early, leading 7-4 after two minutes and they were up by ten at the end of the first quarter. Behind another big game for Rafael Hettsheimeir, who had 20 points, it looked like Bauru’s game throughout the first half.
Concordia hit back in the third, though, putting together a 14-point unanswered run to go from seven down to four up. They then had to deal with the sudden eruption from Bauru’s Michael Uchendu, who scored eight unanswered for his team, helping to make it a one-possession game. Bauru kept Concordia under pressure down the stretch, but the Argentinian team matched them almost basket-for-basket. With over a minute left in the game, top scorer Anthony Smith (27 points) had six in a row and Sebastian Orresta made a layup, putting Concordia up by nine. Bauru made one last push to keep themselves alive, but could not get it done in the remaining time. With the final scoreline 93-88 in their favour, Concordia win both the game and the chance to contest the Americas League title.
Results in the other games meant that Guaros’s tournament was already over, but they still looked to salvage some pride against Corrientes. Heissler Guillent and Jose Vargas put Guaros up by five in the first quarter, Corrientes responded with some good looks from outside, which kept the scoreline tight but still in their opponents favour. Kept alive by Gregory Echenique, who had 31 points in the game, Guaros put the result beyond doubt with 18 points in the final period. They won't be able to defend their Americas League title, but Guaros settled for a good performance and a final eleven-point win for the road.
Of course, Corrientes spot in the Final Four was already secure despite the loss. Their semi-final matchup will be against Group E runners-up Mogi Das Cruzes. Concordia, meanwhile, advance to play San Lorenzo for a place in the final.
The 2018 FIBA Americas League Final Four will begin on March 24th. Until then, for all information and regular news and updates, visit the official website.
