The defending champions, the USA, showcased a dominant performance to
breeze past France in the wheelchair basketball quarterfinals at the Paralympics
in Paris on Tuesday. With a remarkable win, the wheelchair basketball
powerhouse secured its spot in the last four, alongside rivals Great Britain,
Germany, and Canada.
The Americans defeated the Paralympic Games’ host nation 82-47 to set up a
semi-final clash against Canada. Meanwhile, Britain will play their European rival
Germany. Both the semi-finals will be played on September 5, Thursday, while the
bronze medal match is scheduled to take place two days later.
The highly anticipated matchup between the United States and France—a
rematch of the men's basketball championship from last month at the
Olympics—marked the culmination of the day's events. Similar to the Olympic
games, the Bercy Arena was packed from the start, with spectators singing the
French national song and loudly applauding each basket their side made in the
opening quarter.
Despite valiant efforts from the Frenchmen in the first two quarters, the United
States went into halftime with a lead of 14 points. At the start of the third
quarter, the champions, led by the outstanding Jake Williams and Brian Bell,
continued with their rhythm and quickly built a commanding lead. By the
beginning of the fourth quarter, the Americans were ahead 68-37 and had
successfully lowered the noise level inside the arena.
Ignoring the boisterous French audience, the Americans never fell behind and
held France to just 36 percent shooting. Steve Serio scored 13 points on 43% of
his field goal attempts. It was Serio's younger counterparts who took center stage
in the Paris Games. Williams scorched the court with 23 points and 10 assists,
while Bell scored 20 points and grabbed 14 rebounds. They are both two-time
Paralympians, with newcomers like 13-point scorer Jorge Salazar in their wake.
Christophe Carlier led France by scoring 11 points.
I want to thank the people of Paris for coming out and supporting Paralympic
athletes. That arena was one of the most fun arenas I've ever played in. I've taken
the time to appreciate living in the moment a little bit more than I have in the
past, Serio said. I'm very jealous that those athletes get a chance to compete in
L.A. I would love to compete on my home soil, but it's an honor to share the court
with them and to watch them grow throughout these Paralympics, he added.
Every Paralympic Games has its own personality. This is the chance for friends and
family to be in the stands and share this moment with us, and we're not taking it
for granted. It's been a real honor to play in front of them, Serio expressed. The
star player has won two gold medals and a bronze over his four Paralympic
Games.
Earlier in the day, Tokyo 2020 bronze medalists Britain defeated Australia to seal
their place in the final four. Ben Fox, Lee Manning, and Gregg Warburton all
scored more than 20 points apiece as Britain won the game 84-64.
It was a bit nervy. I always find the quarterfinals the ones that bring the nerves
and the excitement; if you lose, you're out, said Manning. I'm really happy, proud,
and privileged to be in the semi-final. There is a lot of confidence in the group,
and we'll see where it takes us, he added.
