Brazil, USA head to U18 Americas Championship Final

TIJUANA (Mexico) - Brazil and the United States won their semifinal duels Saturday at Auditorio Zonkeys in Tijuana, Mexico and advanced to the FIBA U18 Americas Championship gold medal game.

Brazil 78 - 77 Canada

In an absolutely wild comeback and an even more dramatic finish, Brazil shocked Canada on Saturday, 78-77, to advance to the gold medal game against the United States.

The South Americans went down 22-6 to start the game before staging an improbable run in the third quarter that saw them briefly take the lead.

Canada managed to end the stanza on top and even led 71-66 with 5:46 to go in regulation, but Vitor Galvani’s uncorked a 9-0 run to set up a nailbiter of a finish.

Vasean Allette tied the game at 77 with 43 seconds left and Dylan Grant had a chance to win it, but his three-point shot rimmed out and Bubu Benjamin inadvertently fouled Gabriel Caldeira. With Canada in the bonus, the Brazilian made the first attempt and missed the second one, but Vitor Farias Cardoso grabbed the offensive rebound and was promptly fouled.

Farias Cardoso wound up missing both shots at the charity stripe, but Canada couldn’t get a shot off before time expired.

It was Brazil’s long-range attack that allowed them to get back in the game, as they went 14/44 from beyond the arc.

Reynan Camilo Dos Santos (22 points and five assists), Caldeira (16 points and six rebounds), Eduardo Bersh (14 points and eight rebounds) and Guilherme Tesch (11 points) each made 3 three-pointers, an impressive feat in a game where both teams shot under 40 percent overall from the field.

Galvani’s boys were also more efficient and careful with the ball, as they only committed 10 turnovers and dished out 15 assists on 28 made baskets.

This allowed Brazil to compensate for big deficits on the boards (57-39) and points in the paint (42-20), where Michael Nwoko dominated.

The Canadian center finished with a 15-point, 13-rebound double-double. Elijah Fisher added 10 points, while Allette led the way with 22, five rebounds and five assists for Patrick Bruce Tatham’s squad.

Canada will now face Argentina in the bronze medal game on Sunday.

Argentina 60 - 98 USA

Argentina’s illusion of pulling the biggest upset of the tournament lasted about 5 minutes, before the United States regained their composure on their way to a strong 98-60 win on Saturday night.

Tad Boyle’s boys found themselves down 12-4 to start the game before an offensive rebound and bucket from Mark Armstrong sparked a deadly 40-4 run, which including a stretch 26 unanswered points. That essentially put the game out of reach by halftime.

The size and length of Team USA proved to be too much to handle for the South Americans, as the red, white and blue had a 60-37 advantage on the glass and a 68-20 edge in points in the paint.

Center Kel’el Ware led the way with 17 points and eight rebounds. The University of Oregon recruit added three blocks in another masterful performance for the Americans, who improved to a 5-0 record.

Point guard Seth Trimble (16 points) and forward Cam Whitmore (12) also led a bench attack that outscored their opponents, 49-20. Small forward Armstrong, a Villanova recruit, added 13 points, five assists and three steals

Argentina, known for their outside shooting, went just 5/21 from beyond the arc and were held to just 28.3 percent from the floor. They also finished with 22 turnovers that translated into 24 points for the U.S.

However, they fought valiantly until the final buzzer, even winning the fourth quarter by a score of 22-19

Only guards Dylan Bordón (16 points and five rebounds) and Benjamín Marchiaro (13 points and six boards) managed to score in double digits for Herman Mandole’s squad, who will now face Canada in the bronze medal game on Sunday.

The undefeated Team USA will vie for gold against Brazil on Sunday at 8 p.m. Eastern Time.

FIBA