Coleman leads Belize win over Panama in four sets

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador, November 14, 2018.- Karym Coleman scored 29 points to lead Belize 3-1 (25-17, 25-15, 21-25, 25-12) over Panama at the twentieth Men’s AFECAVOL Central American Championship at FESAVOL gymnasium in San Salvador, El Salvador.

Karym Coleman 29 points helped Belize improve their win-loss record 2-3 with ten ranking points. Panama drops to 1-3 record and stands with 5 points.

Panama was unorganized, their presentation was weak and lacking their usual energy. It wasn’t up to the third set that Panama got in better shape forcing longer and exciting rallies to extend the match longer.

Belize had a comfortable performance to lead with huge 55-36 margin in kills and a sizeable 11-2 advantage in blocks. Panama committed one less error than Belize (30-31) and there were no serving points.

Coleman scored on 25 kills and 4 blocks, Francis Hauze added 14 points and Anfernee Archer 12 points. Opposite Otto Othon led Panama with 13 points and Oswald Marshall chipped in with 8 points.

Belize (2-3) will rest on Thursday, while Panama (1-3) faces defending champion Guatemala (4-0).

Karym Coleman said “we lost a set because the team got comfortable, Panama started to adjust on their long hitting and to pick more balls. We recovered in the fourth, hitting stronger and shorter, we also blocked better and making it more difficult for Panama to overcome us. My team was steadier today but we would like to have more fire and with passion to win”.

Cuban Esmidio Limonta, coach of Belize said “I want to underline that half of our regular team stayed back home, because of work or study commitments. The team came out to win, it was important to add more points and climb in ranking; we hope to finish in fourth place, its possible playing well against Guatemala”.  

Head coach of Panama Horacio Angulo expressed that his team didn’t play “my team was lost, I had to make changes, and they were out of system. I used a defense as setter; it worked in the third set. My outside hitters aren’t performing well; they commit more errors than scoring points; my middle blockers are scoring more. Belize took advantage; they were stable and finished with an important result”.