Guatemala hold off Nicaragua in COCABA opener

Blanca Amado

Guatemala - Nicaragua 69:65

Guatemala celebrated a tough win over Nicaragua at the start of the COCABA Championship. The tournament is held in the Guatemalan city of Coban. Five teams are playing in round-robin format for two spots available at the 2010 Centrobasket Championship.
The hosts rushed ahead in the opening frame. They fired 26 points in the quarter to enjoy a 10-point lead at the first break. Honduras however gradually adjusted their defensive schemes and slowed down the home team. Guatemala on the other hand did not allow their opponents to trim the deficit as they were up by 11 points at the interval. Honduras burst out in the third frame. They poured in 20 points and cut the distance to just 5 points with one quarter remaining. Honduras remained hopeful till the final seconds. They outscored Guatemala in the fourth frame but could not avoid the loss at the end. Blanca Amado (80) fired game-high 27 points to lead the defending champions. Alma Lopez contributed 12 points and 9 steals for Guatemala. Jani Martinez answered with 22 points and 9 boards for Nicaragua. Danalid Jackson (69) had 18 points and 11 steals in defeat.

Guatemala: Blanca Amado 27, Alma Lopez 12, Ligia Del Valle (88) 7
Nicaragua: Jani Martinez 22, Danalid Jackson 18+11 steals