South American Championships U17 day 3
Day 3 of the South American Championships U17 saw three nations assert their dominance on the field as Argentina, Chile, and Colombia maintained unbeaten records. It is the Argentine contingent that so far looks the most serene in Lima, Peru. The team has played three and won three during the early rounds.
Argentina will sit out day 4, but the other two untouched nations, Chile and Colombia will play. In fact, they will play each other as one nation (currently both on 2-0 records) will lose their unbeaten start to the South American Championships U17.
Elsewhere, Paraguay got off the mark with a win, while Uruguay, Venezuela, and tournament hosts Peru are left winless.
Group A
Colombia tore apart host nation Peru in a devastating display of Basketball. The onslaught happened from tip-off to final whistle as the Colombians secured a one-sided 85-34 victory. Colombia moves to 2-0 on the win. Peru struggled throughout and just 15 points in the first half allowed a scoreline of 52-15 through the long break. Colombia eased off in the second half, but still eased to victory.
Chile was made to work harder to keep its unbeaten run, with Venezuela proving to be a sterner test. Nevertheless, the Chileans secured a 58-71 win to move to 2-0. Venezuela will rue the fact the team took so long to get going, only scoring 17 points in the first half. That allowed Chile a 38-17 lead and a solid advantage to protect in the second half.
Group B
Paraguay took out Uruguay to win its first game of the competition and leave its opponent hunting a first success. A 66-57 win was built on 18 points apiece from Nestor Lopez and Jose Rolon. Uruguay looked excellent as it put together an 18-5 winning first act. However, the team crumbled after and allowed Paraguay to come back into the game and snatch it in the fourth.
Argentina flexed its muscles in a crushing demolition of Bolivia on Day 3. A massive 91 points showed the Pumas are slick in defence. More amazingly, the team stopped Bolivia at 29 points in a strict defensive effort. The gulf in class was obvious throughout and the 91-29 scoreline will be remembered for years.