Boyd shines but TT lose to Canada in Fiba 3x3 AmeriCup

STAR guard Ahkeel "Smally" Boyd put in a strong showing in Trinidad and Tobago's first match in the main draw of the 2025 Fiba 3x3 AmeriCup in Leon, Mexico, on November 28, but his exploits just came up short as the national team went down 21-16 to Canada in pool C play.

Boyd, who scored TT's first five points in the match, got his team off to a quick start as he broke down the defence to get a lay-up before stepping back beyond the arc to nail a two-point shot to open up an early 3-0 lead. However, once the Canadians took a 5-4 lead after a jumper from Jerome Derosiers (eight points), they never relinquished control and held on for the win despite Boyd's game-high of ten points.

TT were always within striking distance and even cut Canada's lead to 18-16 with just over a minute left in the ten-minute clash when Boyd drained the last of his three shots from deep. It would be TT's last bucket of the game, though, as Steve Sir (five points) knocked down a jumper to put Canada up 20-16, before Grant Audu (five points) sealed the deal by cutting to the rim to finish an easy lay-up after receiving a pass from Derosiers.

Centre Tyrik Singh chipped in with three points for TT, while Boyd's brother Ahkeem "Fato" Boyd scored two.

A day earlier, the Boyds were instrumental in getting TT to the main draw as they led them to wins over St Kitts and Nevis (21-7), South American opponents Uruguay (21-18) and Bahamas (win by default).

In their opening qualifying match, St Kitts were seeing double-trouble as the Boyds combined for 17 of TT's 21 points. Ahkeel was at his best and drained 11 points, with Ahkeem tallying six points. Singh and fellow big man Chike Augustine scored two points apiece as TT saw off St Kitts with ease.

The second game was a much tighter affair, as TT just edged Uruguay by three points, with the Boyds combining for 15 points on this occasion. Uruguay did the early damage in the contest and opened up a 9-7 lead, but TT went on a six-point run to assume a 13-9 advantage. Back-to-back two-point shots from Ahkeem then saw TT opening up a 17-10 lead. And although Rodrigo Cardozo knocked down three buckets as the Uruguayans went on a four-point surge to cut TT's lead to 17-14, a late two-point shot from Ahkeem, combined with a pair of free throws from Ahkeel, assured TT got the narrow win.

Ahkeem led TT with eight points, while Ahkeel and Singh put up seven and five points respectively. With the win by default against Bahamas, TT booked their place in the 12-team main draw.

After the loss to the Canadians, TT were scheduled to play Argentina from 9.20 pm on November 28. The top two teams in each of the four pools will advance to the quarterfinals which will be held from 2.50 pm on November 30. The semifinals will tip off from 6.30 pm on November 30, with the final scheduled for 8.55 pm.