Written by Felipe Marin
A rematch of the previous Invictus Games Gold medal match paired the host team, the United States vs the defending gold medal champions hailing from the United Kingdom. These two are no strangers to each other and it was a showing of some of the greatest wheelchair athletes in the world.
USA won the opening tip and scored on the first possession. They used that momentum for a brilliant full court lob to #11 Juan Soto. The Brits then put their strategy to contain speedy captain #5 Anthony McDaniel forcing him into a 10-second violation, followed by a score in the paint.
The crowd went from cheering for the states to the brits on every possession.
McDaniel proved too much on the fast break scoring 8 of the first 10 points for the Yanks. The early 13-4 lead left Great Britain forcing up shots or ending possessions with shot clock violations.
UK was unable to match its effort with scoring, as they missed several close range shots. Johnny Walker shot a 3 pointer to bring the UK out of a drought, but they still found themselves in a 16-point hole at the half.
The second half started as physical and competitive as the first. Team USA opened up a commanding lead with a three to bring the lead to 28 – 9. Even with a big lead the US pressed full court. You could tell that this was personal to a lot of the players, some that had lost in the previous match.
The lead ballooned to 31 points with 6 minutes remaining. The UK coach, barefoot during the contest, cleared his bench. One thing to note was there was no quit in them. This was more than just a basketball game, but an culmination of sport and determination.
The winner was never in question. United States wins the 2016 Invictus Games Wheelchair Gold Medal defeating the Silver Medalists United Kingdom by a score of 48 – 16.
USA won the opening tip and scored on the first possession. They used that momentum for a brilliant full court lob to #11 Juan Soto. The Brits then put their strategy to contain speedy captain #5 Anthony McDaniel forcing him into a 10-second violation, followed by a score in the paint.
The crowd went from cheering for the states to the brits on every possession.
McDaniel proved too much on the fast break scoring 8 of the first 10 points for the Yanks. The early 13-4 lead left Great Britain forcing up shots or ending possessions with shot clock violations.
UK was unable to match its effort with scoring, as they missed several close range shots. Johnny Walker shot a 3 pointer to bring the UK out of a drought, but they still found themselves in a 16-point hole at the half.
The second half started as physical and competitive as the first. Team USA opened up a commanding lead with a three to bring the lead to 28 – 9. Even with a big lead the US pressed full court. You could tell that this was personal to a lot of the players, some that had lost in the previous match.
The lead ballooned to 31 points with 6 minutes remaining. The UK coach, barefoot during the contest, cleared his bench. One thing to note was there was no quit in them. This was more than just a basketball game, but an culmination of sport and determination.
The winner was never in question. United States wins the 2016 Invictus Games Wheelchair Gold Medal defeating the Silver Medalists United Kingdom by a score of 48 – 16.