The national basketball team continues its steady path towards the 2023 World Championship in Japan, the Philippines and Indonesia, achieving the sixth victory in seven pre-world games against the Bahamas quintet (81-86). A triumph that has the additional value of having been built as a visitor in Nassau, against a rival that used all its resources, including its stars who compete in the NBA: shooting guard Buddy Hill (Indiana Pacers) and Kai Martínez (Charlotte Hornets).
The new victory in the fourth window of the tie showed again the variety of resources that the quintet led by the Argentine Fernando Duró has to subdue the rivals.
If in the first windows, shooting triples and defensive intensity were essential to beat Panama, Argentina and Paraguay, against the Bahamas the team asserted the inside game with the strength of Michael Carrera to score points under the basket, imposing his physique and the speed of their movements; the effectiveness of Windi Graterol and the power of Garly Sojo in the penetrations to the painted zone to put the layup or sink the ball.
Unlike the only game lost by Venezuela (66-69) against Argentina last June in Puerto La Cruz, in which Carrera was plagued by fouls and his inside game was limited, this time the power forward appeared in the most decisive moments , when the ball burned in the hands and it was necessary to score to equalize or go up on the scoreboard.
The lack of success from long distance by Jhorman Zamora and David Cubillán, the team’s best triples in the previous windows, was more than made up for by the work of Carrera, Graterol and Néstor Colmenares. From the 6.75 meter line, Venezuela barely converted 7 of 27 shots. Zamora made one of his five shots and Cubillán also made one of four shots.
Hence the initial advantage that it obtained of 29-21 in the first quarter that forced Venezuela to resort to playing near the rim to slice the advantage and recover by winning the following three quarters by 13-14, 18-24 and 21-27 that They allowed to come back and maintain the minimum advantage in the final seconds of the match.
As is customary in Duró’s team, when a player fails in attack, as happened against Bahama with Zamora’s unusual mistake from long distance, the offense is divided into other hands. Graterol fought on both boards to get 21 points and grab seven rebounds; and Carrera seconded it with six rebounds, two blocks, one triple, two free throws and a total of 17 points, 8 of them in the last quarter to keep the Bahamians at bay.
Sojo also established himself in this window as one of the team’s best attackers. He is the most athletic player on the team and can score points with his three-point shot (2 three-pointers) or on quick breaks, when Venezuela steals the ball. Caricuao’s “Jewel” is the first choice of the national quintet to attack the rim on the run, as he did in the last action of the game, sinking the ball and sealing the final victory by 81-86.
There is still a long way to go, but Venezuela gave a first blow in the complicated Group E, in which Canada was the undefeated leader by defeating Facundo Campazzo’s Argentina 99-87 with its powerful team. The national team is second in this key with a squad where each player knows his role, no one is above the team, without stars, and in which the intensity to defend is as valuable as each point scored.
The FVB also scores points with the recovery of the courts
The current board of directors of the Venezuelan Basketball Federation, led by Hanthony Coello, has also scored valuable points by taking advantage of the new competitive system of the World Cup qualifying round to refurbish the sports facilities that required investment.
The José Joaquín “Papá” Carrillo in the Miranda Park was the first court that was rescued with the support of the governor of Miranda, Héctor Rodríguez, and last June the emblematic “Caldera del Diablo” of the Luis Ramos gym in Puerto was also left as new. The cross. Today, the national team will play in the Bolivarian Dome of Barquisimeto, which has recovered its former splendor.
This column enters a pause until next October. We will take advantage of the holidays to renew our energies and return with more impetus to the Leader newsroom.
Venezuela’s next rival, this Monday at the Bolivarian Dome in Barquisimeto, is another team that is very strong under the boards: the Dominican Republic team led by Indiana Pacer forward Christopher Duarte, center Ángel Delgado and experienced shooting guard Victor Liz.
Dominate the painted area and stop the Dominican counterattacks
The history of recent confrontations between both teams is even. Venezuela defeated Quisqueya’s team 79-78 in the 2018 Fiba America rankings, and a year later they fell in their visit to Santo Domingo 72-62.
The Dominicans, who defeated Panama 70-61 in the first match of this fourth window, get 37% of their points in the paint, so Néstor Colmenares, Windi Graterol, Michael Carrera will have to fight another tough battle to dominate the boards and stop the internal game. The visiting quintet also takes advantage of counterattacks, thanks to the speed of Liz and Duarte, and they are averaging 16 points with their quick breaks. Going out with two wins in this window is vital to continue dreaming.
