CIUDAD JUAREZ (Mexico) - The United States and Canada secured the top spots in their respective groups on Wednesday by finishing undefeated at the FIBA U16 AmeriCup. Both teams claimed their third consecutive win and now know their opponents for the Quarter-Finals, which will be played this Friday at the UACJ University Gymnasium in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico. The reigning champion and Group A leader, the United States, will face Brazil, while Canada, the top seed in Group B, will meet Mexico. The other Quarterfinal matchups are Puerto Rico vs. Argentina and Venezuela vs. the Dominican Republic. The winners of each matchup will advance to the Semi-Finals and secure a spot in the 2026 FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup. The remaining teams will compete for positions 5 through 8. Here’s a look at the highlights from Day 3:
CAN 94 - 81 PUR
Canada (3-0) added another win and finished undefeated in Group B after posting a 26-15 run in the final quarter. Kenyon St. Louis scored 9 of his 12 points in the last 10 minutes to help his team pull away, after Puerto Rico had trimmed a 20-point deficit down to just two.
St. Louis recorded a double-double with 10 assists and also grabbed 6 rebounds. Isaiah Hamilton led the Canadians in scoring with 20 points and also pulled down 9 boards. Power forward Isaiah Clarke added 10 points and 9 rebounds. Puerto Rico (2-1), meanwhile, suffered its first loss of the tournament and finished second in the group. Dwight Gaines delivered one of the best offensive performances of the competition with 28 points, including 4 three-pointers. The point guard shot 12-for-27 from the field and added 4 steals, 3 assists, and 3 rebounds. Jodereck Torres and Eduyn Albino chipped in 11 points apiece.
VEN 75 - 67 BRA
The third time was the charm for Venezuela. After falling short in the closing moments of their first two games, they once again faced a tight finish, this time against Brazil, but didn’t let the win slip away.
The turning point came with 2:26 remaining. Gregori Gavidia hit back-to-back shots, a two-pointer and a three, to give Venezuela a four-point lead (63-59). Then Kevin Gutiérrez made a free throw, and Deiker Torres connected from long range to cap a 9-0 run that pushed the lead to 67-59 with 1:34 left. Venezuela (1-2) held on by sinking six free throws down the stretch and celebrated their first victory on Mexican soil. The win allowed them to avoid finishing last in Group B and a quarterfinal matchup against powerhouse Team USA.
Gutiérrez finished with 16 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 steals. Julio Vásquez followed with 15 points and 9 boards. The Venezuelans knocked down 8 three-pointers, 5 of them in the final quarter. Meanwhile, Brazil (0-3) remains winless in the tournament. Lucas Moro stood out with 20 points—4 of them from beyond the arc—and 8 rebounds. He and Eduardo Santos (10) were the only Brazilians to reach double digits in scoring.
USA 124 - 56 ARG
For the third night in a row, the reigning champions, the United States (3-0), once again surpassed the 110-point mark and held their opponent below 60. This time, three-point shooting was their main weapon, with a total of 11 made threes.
Anthony Williams and Mason Collins each knocked down three triples. The forward finished with 17 points and 8 rebounds, while his teammate added another 13 points. Marcus Spears led the offense with 18 points in just 16 minutes. He also grabbed 6 rebounds, handed out 5 assists, blocked 5 shots, and recorded 4 steals. Argentina (1-2) was led by Ezequiel Catalán with 9 points, followed by Enzo Roth and Juan Dollberg with 8 apiece. The South Americans committed a total of 42 turnovers, which the U.S. converted into 66 points.
DOM 69 - 68 MEX
Jostin Hernández knocked down a free throw with 1.5 seconds left to cap an 18-point comeback for the Dominican Republic (2-1). The point guard received the ball on the baseline and attacked the other end, evading two defenders before drawing a foul from a third. After making the first free throw, he intentionally missed the second to prevent Mexico from getting a final shot. Hernández finished with 8 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists. Luis Valdez stood out with 18 points (10 from the free-throw line) and 4 rebounds. Malvin Durán added 11 points, 6 steals, and 6 boards.
The host team's collapse began in the third quarter, when they scored just nine points. The Dominicans gradually cut into the deficit, though Mexico still had a chance to win. With 9.3 seconds remaining, Luca Balducci went to the free-throw line but missed both attempts, opening the door for Hernández’s game-winner. Álvaro Romero had a standout performance for Mexico (0-3) with a double-double of 19 points, 15 rebounds, and 3 blocks. Santiago Gaytán also finished with a double-double, recording 11 points and 10 rebounds. Balducci ended with 12 points and 6 assists.
Top Performers - Day 3
Marcus Spears (USA) PTS: 18 | REB: 6 | AST: 5 | STL: 4 | BLK: 5 | EFF: 33 Anthony Williams (USA) PTS: 17 | 3P: 3-5 | REB: 8 | AST: 2 | STL: 1 | EFF: 24 Lucas Moro (BRA) PTS: 20 | 3P: 4-10 | REB: 8 | AST: 4 | EFF: 24 Álvaro Romero (MEX) PTS: 19 | FG: 9-17 | REB: 15 | STL: 2| BLK: 3 | EFF: 24 Isaiah Clarke (CAN) PTS: 10 | FG: 3-5 | REB: 9 | AST: 1 | STL: 3 | EFF: 20
Upcoming games
Friday, June 6 (Quarterfinals): United States vs. Brazil - 12:30 (local time) Puerto Rico vs. Argentina - 3:00 p.m. Dominican Republic vs. Venezuela - 5:30 p.m. Canada vs. Mexico - 8:00 p.m. FIBA