Kwesi Mugisa, Staff Reporter
PITTERSON
THE JAMAICAN female basketball contingent took another big step towards qualifying for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China, when they emerged 71-67 victors over Puerto Rico to nab the final qualifying spot for the 2007 FIBA Americas Championship in Mexico City last night.
Simone Edwards led the charge for the Jamaicans with 17 points, while captain Oberon Pitterson had 13. The teams hopes of progressing to the next round of the Olympic qualification process had hinged solely on beating the Puerto Rican team in the tournament's third-place play-off.
A loss in the semi-final round to defending champions Cuba had set up a do-or-die situation for the Jamaicans as only the top three teams from the event progress to next year's tournament.
The Jamaicans finished runners-up in Group B, courtesy of a loss to Puerto Rico in the preliminary round, and as a result had to face defending champions Cuba in the tournament's semi-finals on Wednesday night.
The Cuban's had topped Group A after getting by Mexico in the last game of the group stage.
The team, recently crowned Caribbean champions, but in the absence of Cuba, proved to be no match for their neighbours and were easily swept aside 87-64 in that semi-final encounter.
In the other semi-final, Mexico, led by 29 points from Erika Gomez, got by Group B winners Puerto Rico 72-69 to not only book themselves a place in the finals, but set-up a rematch between themselves and the Cubans.
Having reached the final of the event, defending champions Cuba and Mexico have automatically booked their spots to the next qualification round. The final between Cuba and Mexico got under way at press time.
