MANNHEIM, Germany — The United States team used an 18-8 third-quarter run to blow open a tight game en route to an 89-75 victory over Poland on Sunday in the 22nd Albert Schweitzer International Youth Basketball Tournament.
The United States, which downed Sweden 111-69 on Saturday, is 2-0 in pool play.
The Americans dominated after the break for the second straight game, outscoring Poland 41-30 in the second half. They put away Sweden with a 54-27 second-half advantage.
“We’ve got to get them to play the first 20 minutes like they play the last 20 minutes,” U.S. coach Dick McCann said. “It’s like hitting a switch. All of a sudden they get it going.”
Tyrell Biggs, a 6-foot-8 junior from Don Bosco Prep in Ramsey, N.J., led the United States with 15 points.
Point guard Kyle Lowery, a senior bound for Villanova, scored 14 and once again led the team with 10 rebounds. He also had six assists.
Other Americans in double figures included 15-year-old sophomore Thaddeus Young of Memphis, Tenn., with 12 points and junior Casaan Breeden of Bennettsville, S.C., with 11.
The team’s lone European representative, 6-9 sophomore Aaron Ellis of Kaiserslautern, Germany, played part of the fourth quarter and had one rebound.
The United States outrebounded the Poles 53-39 and had a 20-11 advantage on second-chance baskets.
“They dug deep,” McCann said of his team, which battled through shooting woes. The Americans shot just 44 percent from the floor and 20 percent from three-point range.
American depth also played an important role in the game, especially while defending Polish guard Michal Chylinski.
“We wore that point guard out,” assistant coach Dan D’Antoni said with a grin after the game. “I don’t know how many points he scored, but I bet he didn’t have many in the fourth quarter.”
D’Antoni would have won his bet. Chylinski, who was 3-for-4 from three-point range, led all scorers with 22 points but was held scoreless in the final 10 minutes.
The United States played Italy on Monday night in its final pool-play game. Italy, upset by Poland on Saturday before beating Sweden on Sunday, needed a victory to guarantee a spot in the next round.
Cross-pool play is set for Wednesday and Thursday, with the best teams advancing to Friday’s semifinals.
After an off day Tuesday, the Americans — depending on Monday night’s outcomes — will play at 6 or 8 p.m. Wednesday at the Benjamin Franklin Village Sports Arena. Tickets are priced at $10 for adults and $6 for youths, and are available at the door or from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. daily at the arena box office.
Friday’s semifinals are also set for 6 and 8 p.m. at BFV (tickets are $12 and $10).
Saturday’s third-place and title games are to tip off at 2 and 4 p.m., respectively. Saturday’s tickets are $17 and $14.
No American was thinking that far ahead, according to Desean White, who scored 10 points on Sunday.
“We can’t be thinking about the gold medal,” said White, who is bound for Providence. “Coach is stressing taking them one at a time. That’s what we’re focusing on.”
