By Wheelchair Basketball Canada
Lead photo courtesy IWBF/X-1
Team Canada concluded group play at the Women’s IWBF Repechage tournament with a 76-40 victory over France on Friday to secure the top seed in Group B.
Canada will now face Algeria at 9:30 p.m. ET on Friday in the crossover game. A victory will secure the Senior Women’s National Team a spot at the Paralympic Games in Paris.
Arinn Young (Legal, Alta.) paced the Senior Women’s National Team with 26 points, nine assists, and six rebounds in the Day 3 victory over France. Kady Dandeneau (Pender Island, B.C.) added 22 points, 12 rebounds and six assists, while Rosalie Lalonde (Saint-Clet, Que.) chipped in 12 points, eight rebounds and six assists.
Canada finished shooting 57 per cent from the field and scored 20 points off France’s turnovers in the win. The SWNT limited France to just 19 of 52 shooting.
“Coach Michèle Sung gave us a good game plan, but it just took a minute to get into a rhythm and play our game,” said Tara Llanes, who finished with eight points, two assists and two rebounds in the win. “Once we started communicating better, we started locking France down on defence. It was another good team win, and we’re looking forward to playing Algeria for a spot in Paris.”
Team Canada closed the third quarter on an 8-2 run to push its lead to 24, 52-28 heading into the fourth. Team Canada shot 51 per cent through three quarters.
The SWNT outscored France 16-8 in the second period and led 30-14 at halftime. Young had 16 points and four assists at the break. Puisand Lai (Toronto, Ont.) added four points through two periods. Canada shot 14 of 33 through two quarters and had 12 points off France’s turnovers. Team Canada limited France to 31 per cent shooting from the field through 20 minutes of play.
After falling behind 2-0 early, Canada scored eight unanswered to open an 8-2 lead and held a 14-6 advantage after one quarter. Team Canada recovered to shoot 43 per cent from the field. Dandeneau had six, while Young and Lalonde each had four after 10 minutes.
The repechage tournament is a 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 consists of two groups that will establish rankings for crossover matches. The knockout stage will unveil the four teams that earn a berth in the 2024 Paralympic Games.
Fans can watch the action on CBC Sports digital platforms, including the free CBC Gem streaming service, cbcsports.ca, and the CBC Sports app for iOS and Android devices. Tournament schedule and full results can be found here.
Full stats from Canada’s game against France can be found here.
Photos from the 2024 Women’s IWBF Repechage Tournament can be accessed here (credit IWBF/X-1).
