In a match not suitable for the faint of heart, the Panama Este quintet secured their place in the grand final after beating Panama Metro by a score of 81 to 72 in the Semifinals of the Men’s National U23; in the first game held at the Eugenio “Yuyín” Luzcando gym in Betania and organized by the Panamanian Basketball Federation.
The center and Captain Alexander Pile was the best on offense with 20 points, followed by Alex Domínguez with 17 points, the point guard Gilberto Llerena contributed with 14 points and the Colonense reinforcement Emir Pinillo scored 12.
The best for Panama Metro were point guard Guillermo Navarro Jr. with 22 points, Amílcar Sánchez with 16 points, Ethan Brown with 13 points and Jhonny Murillo finished with 10.
In the second hour, Colón’s team came out on top in the final minutes, beating Panama Norte by a score of 69 to 65 in a very even match from start to finish.
The most notable were Daniel Laguna from the Atlantic Coast with 21 points, accompanied by center Aldimir Castillo with 13 points, Hamurabis De León with 11 points and shooter Damián Armuelles finished with 10.
For Panama North, the best offensive players were Randall Aguilar with 20 points, point guard Gonzalo Ortiz Jr. with 16 points, Rodolfo de la Espada with 8 and Kristopher Vega with 7.
The following games are scheduled for today, Saturday, October 5:
7:00 p.m. Panama Metro vs Panama Norte (3rd Place)
9:00 p.m. Colón vs Panama East (Championship)
