POSTED BY: Eurobasket Center
American Samoa sent a team in Auckland, New Zealand, made of the best players of the national high-school league to play in the FIBA Oceania Youth Tournament. Undersized and unexperienced, the team was unable to get a single win there and came back with the last place.
The samoans experienced some very tough games against teams who were taller, faster, more experienced and more prepared. Despite the losses the girls should have learn a lot and will improve the country's national team for the next tournament. Scoring was a real issue for the team who only averaged 30.2pts in the first four games. The girls had a tough draw and played the four best teams of the tournament in their first four games! Some players made a good tournament though like Le'Aniva Fanene,, Delores Alaimaleata or Tagiilima Ripley.
Pools:
American Samoa - Fiji: 32-57
The samoan offense was crushed into the strong fijian defense. The girls were unable to develop their game against a more experienced team.
Stats: Skyline Nua 10pts 4/9FG, Tagiilima Ripley 9pts 4/12FG 8rbs, Le'Aniva Fanene 7pts 3/10FG 8rbs
American Samoa - New Caledonia: 41-86
The team again showed its limitation. AmSam was unable to stop the caledonian offense against players who were 10cm taller. Fanene and Ripley combined for an horrible 3/25 FG.
Stats: Delores Alaimaleata 14pts 6/19FG, Tagiilima Ripley 10pts 2/12FG, Le'Aniva Fanene 4pts 1/13FG 10rbs.
American Samoa - New Zealand: 29-95
American Samoa closed the pool phase with a large loss against the host nation. The teams were not playing at the same level and the result is somehow logical.
Stats: Delores Alaimaleata 9pts 3/11FG 7rbs, Le'Aniva Fanene 6pts 3/9FG, Tagiilima Ripley 5pts 2/7FG
Pool Standing:
1- New Zealand
2- New Caledonia
3- Fiji
4- American Samoa
Quarterfinals:
American Samoa - Australia: 19-117
Maybe the largest loss in the country history, the samoans were unable to score and were limitted to 7/54FG by a great australian team en-route to the Gold medal.
Stats: Hope Hisatake 7pts 2/8FG, Delores Alaimaleata 5pts 2/13FG 4rbs, Varuna Faasavalu 3pts 1/2FG 4rbs
Classification game:
American Samoa - Tahiti: 64-92
AmSam resisted during the first-half (37-41) but the depth, the experience and size of the tahitian team was tooo much to handle. Good game from Tagiilima Ripley.
Stats: Tagiilima Ripley 20pts 6/18FG 9rbs, Jessica Fuimaono 16pts 6/10FG 8rbs, Delores Alaimaleata 11pts 3/10FG 11rbs 6st
7th place game:
American Samoa - Guam: 72-73
The team was unable to defeat Guam, a team who was playing its first ever FIBA Oceania Tournament. Despite a 32-point effort from Fanene, the guameses won the battle between the two american territories.
Stats: Le'Aniva Fanene 32pts 15/25FG 11rbs, Delores Alaimaleata 12pts 6/16FG 10rbs, Koreti Savai'I 7pts 3/6FG 11rbs
Final Standings:
1- Australia
2- New Zealand
3- New Caledonia
4- Fiji
5- Papua New Guinea
6- Tahiti
7- Guam
8- Am
