Just one more victory separates Lexington native Jasper Johnson from receiving a gold medal.
On Saturday in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Johnson and Team USA dominated from the jump, cruising past Canada in the semifinals of the FIBA U18 AmeriCup by a final score of 107-69. The Americans will now await to take on the winner of the Dominican Republic vs. Argentina.
The gold medal game is scheduled for Sunday at 5:10 p.m. EST. Team USA has won gold in this event 10 out of a possible 12 times, dating back to 1990.
After coming off the bench in Friday’s quarterfinal win over Puerto Rico, Johnson did the same against the Canadians but made a bigger contribution this time around. The class of 2025 five-star guard (ranked No. 10 overall by the On3 Industry Ranking) finished with 11 points, three assists, and one rebound in 19 minutes. He shot 4-10 from the floor and 3-8 from beyond the arc.
Johnson is considered one of Kentucky’s top high school targets.
Johnson wasn’t the only prospect in action that Mark Pope had eyes on though. The Wildcats’ new head coach, who made the trip to Argentina on Friday to watch his favorite recruits in person, also checked out the likes of five-star shooting guard Trey McKenney (No. 12 overall), four-star small forward Nate Ament (No. 15), and four-star small forward Shelton Henderson (No. 43), among others.
Pope was on the sidelines watching all of them (Johnson included) in action. Here is how they performed during Team USA’s win over Canada:
- McKenney: 12 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal in 20 minutes | 4-10 FG, 2-3 3PT, 2-2 FT
- Ament: 2 points, 2 blocks in 7 minutes | 1-6 FG, 1-4 3PT, 0-0 FT
- Henderson: 10 points, 6 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1 steal in 20 minutes | 4-7 FG, 0-1 3PT, 2-2 FT
All 12 players who took the floor scored for Team USA. It was a balanced effort from everyone, as four players tied for the leading scorer at 12 points. As a whole, the Americans shot 51.2 percent from the floor, 30 percent (9-30) from long range, and 71.4 percent (10-14) from the line.
With Saturday’s win, Team USA will put its perfect 5-0 record on the line in Sunday’s championship.
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