Panama Basketball Gets Hot in Second Half vs USA; Loses 118-26

Yesterday, Panama faced off against the USA in the group phase of FIBA U18 America's Championship Tournament.

The Panamanian players started off scorching cold; they made exactly 0 out of their 20 shots in the opening quarter.

While their offense wasn't going, the defense tried to prevent too deep of a deficit. It failed. The score at the end of the 1st Quarter was 43-0 in favor of our boys in blue. (Editor's Note: they may not have been wearing blue uniforms, nobody actually watched this game.)

Despite a brutal opening period, Panama refused to give up. They buckled down on defense and got smarter on offense. The adjustments worked beautifully, as they ended up losing the 2nd Quarter by only 19 points. The score at the half was 70-8.

Halftime was a much needed break for the Panamanian competition. They had time to re-evaluate strategy, regain their composure, and come out with fresh legs. The US team, according to a made up source, prepared by having their centers play "rock, paper, scissors" to determine who would start the second half at point guard.

Panama came out swinging in the second half, putting up 9 points in each of the 3rd and 4th Quarters. By the end of the game, they had more than tripled their entire first half score.

Unfortunately, that kind of offensive output takes a toll on a team's defense. They were unable to put the necessary pressure on team USA, and the game ended with a final score of 118-26.

One fan probably said after the game, "It wasn't as close as the score makes it seem."