XALAPA (Mexico) – The United States overcame what was their toughest task to date in the FIBA U16 Americas Championship as they advanced past Canada 99-81 to reach the Finals.

Kylan Boswell led Team USA with 20 points, while Jeremy Fears Jr. (18), Ronald Holland (16) and Jalen Lewis (11) all scored in double figures.

Sticking with the trend of the day in the Semi-Finals, the team with the deeper roster overcame the other that received a down performance from their star player and had less balance.

Canada had the game tied at halftime (47 apiece), but the United States wore them down in the third quarter, outscoring them by 16 and forcing turnovers left and right. Most importantly, Canada never could get their best player and one of the top talents in the event, Mikkel Tyne, going.

Some credit must obviously go to the United States’ length, athleticism and effort defensively, but it could be fair to say that Tyne looked spent after carrying a high usage rate for most of the event. The talented point guard shot 5-of-18 from the floor on his way to 13 points. While he impacted the game in other ways with his rebounding and playmaking, Canada just doesn’t have the flexibility on the offensive side to pick up the slack.

While the United States’ offensive unit looked dominant in the second half, they weren’t as crisp and effective in the opening 20 minutes. Maybe it was Holland’s lack of ball security or the misses from 3, but this was the first game in the tournament that the United States scored under the century mark (albeit by one point).

Team USA is now one win away from cutting down the nets as they will duel with Argentina in what should be a thrilling final on Sunday. While the United States holds the advantage in athleticism and overall talent, Argentina cannot be discounted because of their shooting, depth and high-IQ style of play.

On the flip side, Canada can go back to the drawing board for the third-place game knowing they gave the United States all they could handle for at least a half. Tyne is an absolute stud regardless of his outing in the Semi-Finals and should be the future of the program at such a young age.

FIBA