Papua New Guinea U18

“We have been training for the past four weeks and I’m happy with the preparation and the progress so far,” Pakakota said.

“Our focus has been on improving our structural play. The boys picked up well and I’m confident we will be competitive out there.

“The core of the team is made up of boys who took part in the qualifiers for the U17 World Cup last year. We’re just doing a few changes and added few new players to blend them with the overall structure.”

Leading Guam 32-20 in the third quarter, the PNG women battled valiantly but could not hold onto the lead as Guam came from behind to steal the win in a very close game.

After being roasted 59-20 yesterday in the opener against New Caledonia, the girls regrouped to put on a good game against Guam, despite the loss.

Svetlana Arthur once again stood up for Team PNG, this time recording a massive double-double of 13-points and 15-rebounds.