Quarter-final defeat for Guyana in U-23 3×3 in Paraguay

A hard-fought 14-18 loss to Paraguay knocked Guyana out of the Under-23 3×3 tournament at the quarter-final stage in Asunción on Friday.

The tournament served as the culmination of Guyana’s week-long 3×3 High Performance Training Programme in Paraguay, held in preparation for this year’s Junior Pan Am Games.

Guyana’s squad featured US-based Anish Ramlall, alongside Domitre Rankin, Stephen George and Arren Vanlewin, who battled a well-rounded and disciplined Paraguayan team on their home court.

The game was tightly contested, with both teams exchanging buckets throughout. With just 33 seconds remaining and the score tied at 14, Paraguay converted an and-one play and converted the free throw to edge ahead 16-14.

However, Ramlall and Vanlewin each had clear looks at the rim to cut the deficit, but couldn’t capitalise.

With nine seconds left on the clock, George committed Guyana’s seventh team foul, putting Paraguay in the bonus and sending them to the line for two free throws.

The home team calmly knocked down both, extending their lead to 18-14.

George’s last-second attempt grazed the rim, but time expired before Guyana could close the gap, bringing their impressive run to an end.

Guyana’s participation in the tournament followed the signing of a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) and the Paraguayan Olympic Committee, aimed at strengthening bilateral ties and advancing sports development.

Other participating nations included Trinidad and Tobago, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Honduras, Costa Rica, the British Virgin Islands, Argentina, Grenada and the Cayman Islands.

President of the Guyana Basketball Federation (GBF), Michael Singh, expressed gratitude to the GOA for facilitating Guyana’s involvement.

“These are all young players, and we know they soaked in everything they were taught in Paraguay,” Singh said.

“We’re going to be investing heavily in the 3×3 format, and these are exactly the kinds of international experiences we want for our players. So, thank you to the GOA.”

Singh said the GBF will be working closely with Coach Willon Cameron, who also participated in the training camp, to develop a structured 3×3 programme aimed at fostering the growth of the game among both male and female youth players.

The GBF President added that the Federation plans to host a National Under-23 3×3 Tournament, which will complement the upcoming National Senior 3×3 Championship.