Guyana’s women suffered a heartbreaking 15-14 loss to El Salvador in the quarterfinals of the 3×3 basketball competition at the 2026 Central American and Caribbean Games in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, on Sunday.
The Guyanese led by five points during the match at Sports Malecón Park but were undone by a late El Salvador comeback, which included several important two-point shots in the closing stages.
Guyana will now face Guatemala in a fifth-to-eighth-place classification match on Monday as they seek to end their campaign on a positive note.
Playing before approximately 450 spectators, Guyana made the stronger start and established a 10-5 advantage midway through the 10-minute contest.
De Angelique Waithe helped Guyana take control early and finished with five points while shooting 50 per cent from the field. Ruth Adams led the team with six points and was a constant threat close to the basket.
El Salvador gradually reduced the deficit through Hillary Martínez, who played the entire match and scored seven points. Her two-point conversion with just over two minutes remaining brought her team within two points at 10-8.
Guadalupe Vázquez then changed the direction of the contest with consecutive two-point baskets. Her late scoring helped El Salvador draw level at 10-10 before moving ahead 15-12 in the final seconds.
Adams gave Guyana one last opportunity when she converted a two-pointer with 11 seconds remaining to reduce the deficit to 15-14.
Guyana committed two quick fouls in an attempt to regain possession, but El Salvador held on as time expired.
Despite recording a better overall field-goal percentage of 34 compared to El Salvador’s 24, Guyana were unable to protect their advantage. The match featured four lead changes and three tied scores.
Vázquez finished with six points and registered the highest player value of the match at 3.6.
Earlier on Sunday, Guyana were defeated 13-8 by hosts Dominican Republic in their Pool D opener.
The match remained close for most of the contest, with the scores tied on five occasions before the Dominican Republic pulled away during the final two minutes.
Waithe opened the scoring for Guyana before later converting a two-pointer to give her team a 3-2 lead. Adams and Waithe each finished with three points.
The score was tied at 5-5 with just over three minutes remaining, but Yadira Polanco and Esmery Martínez led a decisive Dominican Republic surge.
Martínez scored three consecutive points late in the contest to extend the hosts’ advantage to 11-8, while Polanco scored the final point with 1.6 seconds remaining.
Martínez and Polanco each finished with six points. The Dominican Republic shot 27 per cent from the field, while Guyana converted 29 per cent of their attempts.
Guyana also committed seven team fouls, with the seventh coming inside the final minute as the Dominican Republic completed their late push.
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