Trinidad and Tobago finish fifth at U-17 Centrobasket

TRINIDAD AND Tobago’s 52-34 victory over Honduras in their final Centrobasket Under-17 Women’s 2023 Qualifiers match on Monday saw them finish fifth overall.

At the Alexis Arguello Sports Complex in Nicaragua, TT ended their challenging campaign on a positive note after losing their four previous matches.

TT signalled their intent early on and proved to be the more assertive team by establishing a 10-5 lead at the end of the first quarter.

TT took their foot off the gas in the second quarter, allowing Honduras to get back into the game. The Hondurans went on an 8 2 scoring run that saw TT maintain a slender 17-15 advantage into the half time break.

Into the third quarter, TT bolstered their defensive pressure.

Julia George led the line for TT’s high press and came up big with multiple steals and interceptions. That led to an eight-point run which saw them regain control at 25-15. Honduras fell further behind, trailing 34-19 heading into the fourth quarter.

In the final session, Amariah Clyne took on the brunt of the offensive responsibility, and in the end TT cruised to victory.

Their fifth place finish saw them miss out 2023 Centrobasket U17 Women's Championships qualification. Only the top three advanced.

TT however, had notable individual performers at the tournament, with Clyne leading all players in terms of points, field goals made and two-point field percentage.

Mariah Charles was listed second overall in total rebounds, Julia George was second on the list for assists and Carissa Ramdial was second on the list of three-point Field Goals made and steals.

Ramdial was also named as the Best Point Guard in the tournament, and voted to the tournament’s All Star Five.