Canada Wins Silver Medal at U16 Women’s FIBA Americas Championship
Canada’s U16 Women’s FIBA Americas run came to an end after losing the gold medal game against the United States, 91-46. Despite a disappointing end to the tournament, the Canadian team dominated their games in the group phase and semi-finals.
Canada went undefeated in the group phase with wins over Venezuela, Dominican Republic and Argentina. They then moved on to play Colombia in the semi-finals, winning the game in a convincing 64-38 victory. Merissah Russell (Ottawa) led the team with 11 points and 8 rebounds in the semi-final victory.
In the final, it was a match up between the two highest ranked teams in the tournament: Canada, sitting fourth in the FIBA Women’s Youth Rankings, and the United States, sitting first. Despite a close first quarter in which Canada only trailed by six, a difficult second quarter allowed the Americans to take a 25-point lead into half-time. In the second half, the Canadians could not overcome the deficit as they fell to the Americans. Merissah Russell led the team in scoring in the final with 12 points.
Game results are below.
| Home Team | Score | Away Team | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Venezuela | 38 | 89 | Canada |
| Dominican Republic | 48 | 89 | Canada |
| Canada | 71 | 65 | Argentina |
| Canada | 64 | 38 | Colombia |
| Canada | 46 | 91 | United States |
Ontario was well represented at the tournament with five athletes on the roster. Merissah Russell and Aaliyah Edwards were tied for third in scoring on the team, averaging 8.4 points per game. Makayla Ennis tied for first on the team in assists per game with 2.4.
Overall, Canada had a successful tournament winning a silver medal and qualifying for a fifth consecutive FIBA U17 Women’s Basketball World Cup.
For full game results and statistics, visit the 2017 U16 Women’s FIBA Americas Championship website. For recaps of Canada’s games, visit the Canada Basketball website.