The men shot to the top of Group D here in Colombia with a 21-9 win over Saint Lucia.

The victory was driven by a captivating performance from Jorge De La Serna Delgado who netted 11 points, more than double that of the game's next-best scorer, and his team mate, Myron Molina Bean on five.

Mexico were helped on their way to the win by the inexperienced opposition who committed nine fouls which regularly swung the momentum back to the eventual victors.

In Group C, Ecuador and Guatemala's match went down to the wire with the latter sealing a 15-14 victory with little more than a second remaining.

As the clock ticked down, Ecuador sank a two-pointer to draw level but their celebrations did not last long as they allowed the opposition too much room, which was punished in the dying moments.

Guatemala's Helmet Esquivel Alpírez and Victor Barahona Maldonado both scored six points to share the highest-scorer's tag.

Puerto Rico then took to the court next to face the British Virgin Islands in Group A, resulting in a comprehensive 21-5 win with Luis Rivera Rosario's 10 points leading the Puerto Rican charge.

The British Virgin Islands were hindered by a lack of players as they only had three as opposed to the regular four, meaning they had no substitutes available.

Trinidad and Tobago took control of Group B by default as their opponents, Dominica, were forced to retire and give up a 3-0 defeat.

In the women's competition, Mexico beat El Salvador in a thrilling contest which ended 12-11 to take a slender lead at the top of Group B.

Another close affair came in Group A, with Ecuador beating Puerto Rico 14-13 to avenge their male counterparts' loss, with Aurora Granja Quiñonez's seven points making the difference.

Uruguay and Argentina then followed up with dominant 21-2 and 21-5 wins over Saint Lucia and Haiti, respectively.