TORONTO.— “I'm very happy, I’m the happiest man on earth,” Cuban coach Alberto Zabala tearfully confessed, just minutes after his national basketball team defeated Brazil 66-62 in the dispute for the bronze medal, another heart-stopping match in which the Cubans again kept their cool.
The coach, who on Sunday complained of the lack of decisive power in his team in the final stages of matches, due to their limited competitive experience, valued the excellent work throughout this match and praised the ability of all to go out onto the court and contribute to the win.
“We can no longer talk about just two or three figures, others have gone out and shown what they are made of under tremendous pressure,” the coach said, while he went out of his way to praise Ineidis Casanova, the Most Valuable Player of the match.
“What can I tell you, it was her time. Sometimes due to being so explosive, so fast, so alive, she has to leave the match, she makes mistakes, but she has matured. She has tremendous influence on the team's performance, in their fighting spirit,” Zabala added.
“This victory was well won, but we can not forget the basketball coaches of the country, the families of the team. They have achieved this victory, but really it belongs to the whole Cuban people,” he continued.
In the dispute for the bronze, the Caribbean quintet handled the game with ease, this time better withstanding the pressure from the physically strong Brazilians, who have seen great performances and the scoring power of Mayara Paixao and Gilmara Justino.
However, the response of Casanova, CleniaNobletandLeydisOquendoallowedCubato dominatealmost the entirematch.Ineidisagainemerged asa leader, with fast transitionsanda surgical precisionin her breaks, scoring18 points.
Her efforts unsettled the South Americans, who also suffered successful shots by Oquendo, in addition to a tremendous performance by Clenia, acting as a virtually impassable wall, to the point of catching 14 rebounds, five offensive and nine defensive.
As if that were not enough, Clenia also scored 16 points with her baskets, ranking number one in the team. “In this team we know we can all be protagonists, one day it's up to one, then another. Today Yamara Amargo didn’t play well, but we took up the challenge and what matters is the final triumph. We had wanted to dispute the gold, but we're very happy with this bronze,” Noblet stated before disappearing, along with her teammates, to celebrate their dramatic victory.
