Belize & Venezuela win 1 each in basketball friendlies

Team Belize went 1-1 with Team Venezuela in a 2 game series of friendlies at the Belize City Center last Thursday and Friday to prepare for the Centrobasket tournament in Santo Domingo.  Team Venezuela won Game 1 on Thursday night – 83-77. Team captain Milton Palacio led Belize’s attack with 14pts to give Belize a 26-23 at the end of the 1st quarter, but Joan Herrera responded with 12 pts for Venezuela, Rafael Perez added 10pts and Axiers Sucre was good for another 9 pts as they took over the lead 49-44 at the half.
Venezuela’s Joan Herrera hit 2 long treys in the 2nd half, David Cubillon followed suit with a trey to finish with 10pts, Hector Romero added 8pts and Windy Gizaterol added 4pts. Luis Valera drained in another long trey to lead 66-55 at the end of the 3rd quarter. In money time, Kenton Paulino stepped up big time with 2 treys to finish with 15pts, and Keenan Jourdan added 13pts. Troyer also hit 2 treys to finish with 10pts, while Alex Carcamo had 8pts. Charlie Burgess drained in a trey to add 6pts and Leon “Sonny” Watson chipped in 4pts.

In Game 2 on Friday, Team Belize came back strong, blowing out the Venezuelans 83-64! This time Alex Carcamo led with 18 game pts. Roger Troyer added 11pts, and team captain Milton Palacio had 9pts and Belize dominated the 1st quarter 27-9. Kenton Paulino hit a long trey to finish with 12pts and more buckets from Darwin “Puppy” Leslie and Leon Jacobs gave Belize a 40-28 lead at the half. Venezuela’s Rafael Perez hit a long trey as he scored 12pts, Axiers Sucre added 8pts, Jesus Urbina hit a trey to add 7 pts and Joan Herrera had 5pts. Palacio and Burgess answered each with a long trey, and more buckets from Carcamo, Troyer and Keenan Jourdan, and Paulino scored 5 from the charity stripe to give Belize a 64-43 lead at the end of the 3rd quarter.
Venezuela’s Hernan Salcedo drained in 2 treys as he led with 12pts in the 2nd half, Hector Romero added 7 pts, Gregory Vargas chipped in 4pts and Jose Bravo added 5pts, but they were out-rebounded by Team Belize. Carcamo grabbed 9 rebounds while Troyer snagged 7, Milt Palacio captured 6 rebounds, Burgess also caught 5 rebounds. Sonny Watson punctuated the 83-64 victory with a final dunk. Belize’s top scorer with 10 treys or 40pts in  our silver medal win at the COCABA championships in Cancun last year, Marlon Garnett, could not join the squad, because the Belize Basketball Federation could not provide the earnings compensation insurance, to compensate for Garnett for lost earnings should he be injured in the tournament. As Garnett is getting towards the end of his career, he did not wish to risk his anticipated earning by a possible injury without insurance.

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