USA 3x3 Boys run out of gas in the Medal Round
The U.S. boys squad faced Estonia in a medal quarterfinal Sunday morning, and held their opponent to just five points in the second period but could not recover from Estonia's 16 first-quarter points, losing 21-12 to end the USA's medal hopes. Rondaé Jefferson (Chester H.S./Chester, Pa.) led the red, white and blue with seven points.
That same story was repeated in the USA's 21-15 loss to Russia, with the USA unable to rebound after allowing 16 first-period points. Jefferson tallied six points against Russia, while Jordan Swopshire (SportsQuest Academy, Va./Ofallon, Mo.) and Malik Price-Martin (Monsignor Edward Pace H.S./ Miami, Fla.) added four points apiece.
The USA finished in 8th place after falling to Canada 20-11 in its final game of the 36-team tournament. Shaqquan Aaron (Taft H.S./Apple Valley, Calif.) led with four points, followed by three points from Jefferson and Price-Martin, who suffered a shoulder injury late in the second period and did not return.
"We are all a little down," Jefferson said. "We are sad to have had a chance to compete for something and then lose. It hurts to lose. All around today, the teams we played wanted it more than we did. They were more aggressive getting to lose balls and doing the little things. We tried to maintain control when we were down, but we struggled on defense.
"Out of all of the basketball I’ve played, this experience really taught me about never giving up. No matter what the score, any team can win and you can never let up or take a play off."
“I enjoyed myself off the court, and I met a lot of new people from all over the world," Jefferson said. "As a team, we went to the beach and bike riding and we had a lot of fun together.
"This experience definitely helped me become a better player," Jefferson continued. "You have to play hard every possession. One mess up or mistake, and the other team can go up by two points, which is a big difference in tight games.”
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The Rules.
A half court game that consisted of two 5:00 periods. The team leading after completion of regular playing time, or the first team to score 21 points, was declared the winner. A 12-second shot clock was utilized. Shots made outside the 3-point line were awarded two points, shots made inside the 3-point line were awarded one point, and each made free throw was worth one point.
The Stats.
Rondae led the team in scoring with 76 points in 12 games (6.3 average), 29 more points more than his closest teammate.
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