JAMAICA secured the bronze medal at the 2012 Men’s Centrobasket Championships which ended Sunday at the José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum in Hato Rey, Puerto Rico.

By virtue of finishing in the top four, Jamaica’s men will make their first appearance at next year’s FIBA Americas Championship, a qualifying event for the FIBA World Championships and the Olympic Games, in Venezuela.

The consistent Weyinmi Rose (21 points) and Jerome Jordan’s double-double (17 points, 11 rebounds) ensured that Jamaica outpointed Panama, 78-54, for third place. Jamaica led all the way.

Jordan’s two-point jump shots put Jamaica up 4-0 at 8:59 in the first quarter. Three-pointers from Rose and Patrick Ewing Jr, and Samardo Samuels’ dunk and free throws drove Jamaica to 14, with Panama trailing on seven at 5:45.

By the end of the first quarter, the Sam Vincent-guided team led 25-17. A Kimani Friend lay-up early in the second quarter gave Jamaica a 10-point advantage (27-17) before the Panamanians, bronze medallist in 2010, staged a fightback.

At 5:10 in the second quarter, three points from Isaac St Rose allowed Panama to close in at 29-24, but the steady Samuels, who plays for NBA team Cleveland Cavaliers, again extended the lead to 10 points at 4:10. At half-time the Jamaicans held the upper hand, 39-30.

Confident they are a notch above the Central American team, Jamaica set about dismantling their rhythm in the third quarter and outscored them, 19-12, to enter the final quarter comfortably ahead, 58-42.

Evidence that Jamaica were cruising to their best performance in the Championships came with 3:46 left in the match when they held their biggest lead at 74-48. Samuels finished with 13 points, four rebounds, and two assists.

In their semi-final on Saturday, Jamaica lost 89-103 to Puerto Rico, the eventual runners-up in the competition. Dominican Republic grabbed their third title on Sunday when they beat Puerto Rico 80-72.

Samuels ended as Jamaica’s top-scorer overall with 102 points from six matches, ahead of Rose, 100, also from six matches.

Twenty-three-year-old Samuels was also the top rebounder for his country with 44, edging Ewing Jr (43) and Jordan (42).

In terms of free throws, Samuels topped all countries with 34, ahead of Panama’s Josimar Ayarza Tous (28). Rose was fifth overall with 21.

Jamaica join The Bahamas, Barbados and the US Virgin Islands as English-speaking Caribbean countries to have played at the FIBA Americas Championship which began in 1980.