Canada punches Paralympic ticket with win over Algeria at Women’s IWBF Repechage Tournament

By Wheelchair Basketball Canada

Lead photo courtesy IWBF/X-1

The Senior Women’s National Team officially qualified for the 2024 Paralympic Games with an 88-30 victory over Algeria at the IWBF Repechage Tournament in Osaka, Japan on Saturday.

“We got the job done today in qualifying for Paris,” said coach Michèle Sung. “This group has been through a lot in the last year, and it speaks to who they are that they let me come in on short notice and lead them. They have worked hard to reach this point, and now the next phase begins.”

Kady Dandeneau (Pender Island, B.C) paced Team Canada with 24 points, nine rebounds and eight assists, while Arinn Young (Legal, Alta.) finished with 15 points, six assists and five rebounds.

Cindy Ouellet (Quebec City, Que.) added 14 points, six assists and four rebounds, and Rosalie Lalonde (Saint-Clet, Que.) chipped in 11 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in the win.

“We came to Osaka with the task of winning all our games, and we accomplished that,” said Ouellet. “This Repechage Tournament was a full team effort. We’re ready to get back to work on some aspects of our game this summer to arrive ready for Paris 2024.”

Canada finished shooting 42 of 79 from the field and scored 32 points off Algerian turnovers in the victory. The SWNT held Algeria to 23 per cent shooting in the win.

The SWNT opened the second half on a 14-0 run and led 72-20 through three quarters.

Team Canada outscored Algeria 17-10 in the second quarter and held a 49-16 lead at the break. Young had five points in the second period, and Ouellet and Bethany Johnson (Winnipeg, Man.) each had four points as Canada shot 23 of 37 from the field.

Canada scored 22 points off Algerian turnovers and held Algeria to 38 per cent shooting through two quarters.

The SWNT scored the first 14 unanswered and led 32-6 after one quarter. Dandeneau had 18 points, five assists and three rebounds. Ouellet and Young each added six in the first period, and Team Canada shot 68 per cent from the field.

Canada went undefeated in Osaka, winning all three group-stage games before defeating Algeria in Saturday’s must-win qualifier for Paris.

The repechage tournament was the final opportunity for teams who did not qualify for the Paris Games through their zone qualifier to earn a spot at the Paralympic Games.

The tournament included two groups of four teams, and Saturday’s four final games revealed the four teams to earn a berth in the 2024 Paralympic Games.

Canada won gold at three straight Paralympic Games (1992, 1996, 2000) and bronze in 2004. The SWNT finished fifth at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics.

Complete tournament results can be found here. Full stats from Canada’s game against Algeria can be found here. Photos from the 2024 Women’s IWBF Repechage Tournament can be accessed here (credit IWBF/X-1).