Stingers edge Real Esteli in BCL Americas debut; Minas dominates Bigua

 MIAMI (United States) - The 2021-22 BCL Americas rolled on with two games on Monday evening that featured the first matchups from Group A and Group C.

2021 finalist Real Esteli opened up their path to redemption, while Brazilian squad and 2021 semifinalist Minas kicked off their road with a bang.

Minas 95 - 73 Bigua

If you like offense, this was the perfect game for you. Minas scored the most points of any team in a single game through the first seven showdowns of the BCL Americas.

And they did so in impressive fashion.

Minas drilled 14 3-pointers and shot nearly 50% from the field. Even though they turned the ball over a total of 16 times, they still put up 25 or more points in three of the four quarters.

Most impressively, they only had four players score in double figures. Alexey Borges (25 points on 8-of-11 shooting) and Guilherme Deodato (23 points on 8-of-13 shooting) were in such a rhythm — alongside bench players Felipe Araujo and Gun Carvalho — that the lack of depth and balance wasn’t even an issue.

Despite a superb offensive performance, the real difference in the game was the defense’s ability to create easy buckets at the other end. Minas scored 27 points off turnovers and 19 points in transition.

Their athletes really made a massive difference, negating their inability to contain and match up with the size and strength on the interior that Bigua brought to the table.

Next up for Minas is a duel with Obras Sanitarias on Wednesday, while Bigua will look to bounce back vs. the same opponent (Obras) on Tuesday evening.

Stingers 84 - 81 Real Esteli

The second game of the night offered a fairly stunning result, as the Stingers took down Esteli — last year’s BCL Americas finalist —despite nearly a blowing a 10-point lead late in the fourth quarter.

Four players scored in double figures for the Stingers, but they were led by Trahson Yamarr Burrell, who dropped 20 points. It was a complete game for the 6-foot-9, 29-year-old, as he nearly recorded a triple-double with 10 rebounds and six assists.

With much of the team’s production returning, including stars Jezreel De Jesus and Javier Mojica and ex-NBA talent Renaldo Balkman, much more was expected out of this roster.

Ultimately, this loss came down to two reasons: a lack of 3-point shooting and the mighty struggles of De Jesus.

Esteli shot a brutal 19% from beyond the arc for the game and made only four total 3s. Meanwhile, their opponent hit five more threes and shot nearly 50% from the floor overall.

De Jesus scored just nine points, forcing Ismael Romero to drop 27 points and carry the roster alongside Balkman and Mojica. If Esteli is going to return to the heights of last year — or higher — they will certainly need more from one of their top players.

FIBA