With an impressive audience filling the stands, and even overflowing outside the venue trying to catch glimpses, the spectacle of 3×3 basketball stole the spotlight on Saturday at the Paraguayan Olympic Park. By the end of the day, four men’s and four women’s teams had secured their spots on the road to Pan American gold.
MEN’S TOURNAMENT
In the men’s quarterfinals, the national teams of the Dominican Republic, Argentina, Ecuador, and Chile advanced.
The Dominican squad resisted the pressure of the local fans and edged past Paraguay by two points: 16-14. Earlier, in the opening game of the round, Chile reached the target score and defeated Canada 21-16.
Following Paraguay’s elimination, Argentina and Ecuador claimed victories over the Cayman Islands (21-10) and Puerto Rico (21-20), respectively.
As a result, tomorrow’s semifinals will feature Chile vs. the Dominican Republic and Argentina vs. Ecuador, with the winners moving on to the grand final later that night.
WOMEN’S TOURNAMENT
Running parallel to the men’s games, the women’s quarterfinals also took place. Brazil, Canada, Paraguay, and Mexico emerged victorious and will battle for a place in the final tomorrow.
The round began with a nail-biting clash between Brazil and Chile, won by the Brazilians 19-18. Next, Canada showcased its strength by defeating Costa Rica 21-6.
As the sun went down, Paraguay overcame a slow start and rallied to beat Argentina 17-15, while Mexico capped the day with a commanding 21-8 win over Uruguay.
The decisive stages will unfold tomorrow in the same venue. At noon, Brazil will face Canada for the first ticket to the final, followed an hour later by Paraguay, backed by its home crowd, against Mexico for the second.
