The Latest:

 

(As posted on the CWBA Website)

TEAM CANADA WOMEN DEFEAT AUSTRALIA 59-49 TO WIN BRONZE AT THE 2010 WORLD WHEELCHAIR BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS

 

(Birmingham, UK) The Canadian Women’s Wheelchair Basketball Team captured Bronze and  reached the podium for the sixth consecutive World Championship with a 59-49 win over Australia Saturday.

 

Canada rallied from an 11 point deficit in the opening quarter to outscore Australia 40-20 in the second half.  The Canadians seemed to get better as the game went on revving up their offense from an 8 point output in the first quarter to a 21 point surge in the fourth quarter.

The Aussies had no answer for Canada’s Janet McLachlan (Vancouver, BC) who continued to score and rebound at a torrid pace. She dropped 18 points and collected 20 rebounds to notch her seventh double-double in seven games. The Canadians top offensive weapon led all players in the tournament in both categories. She also demonstrated her ability to dish the ball finishing with a game-high 7 assists.

Canada’s first lead of the game came with just over 6 minutes remaining when Elaine Allard (St. Eustache, QC) sent a beautiful pass to McLachlan for an easy finish. The turning point came midway through a 13 point Canadian run that provided Canada with a comfortable 8 point lead. Australia was unable to recover and would only score 5 points in the final five minutes of play.

Once again Chantal Benoit (Mont St. Hillaire, QC) showcased her flair in big games coming through with 14 points. Tracey Ferguson (Holland’s Landing, ON) and Tara Feser (St. Albert, AB) each had 7 points. Cindy Ouellet (Quebec, QC) finished with 6 points, and Katie Harnock (Elmira, ON) potted 5 points. Jessica Vliegenthart (Victoria, BC) rounded out the scoring with 2 points.

 

Janet McLachlan was a force to be reckoned with getting double digit points and rebounds in all 7 of Canada's games.

“We played really well against the USA in the semi-finals and it was a tough game to lose.  So we wanted to come out here today and keep playing well. We just kept fighting and it was a great effort. It’s my first international medal and it’s the first medal for a lot of my teammates as well. It is a really great feeling,” said Team Canada Athlete Janet McLachlan.

 

“The team has taken a few big steps since Beijing and we want to keep moving and keep taking those steps as we look forward to London.”
 
Day 11 Blog - Team Canada Women defeat Australia to Win Bronze + postgame interview with # 6 Kendra Ohama [Watch the Video] click

Heading into the tournament both the Canadian Men’s and Women’s Teams were the defending champions - having won gold at the previous tournament held in Amsterdam, the Netherlands in 2006. For the Canadian Women it was their fourth consecutive World Championship Title.

This year’s bronze medal performance marks a return to the podium for the Canadian Women who have been one of the most dominating teams in Canadian sport history.  They finished a disappointing 5^th place at the 2008 Paralympics in Beijing following four straight medals including gold in 1992, 1996, and 2000 Paralympic Games.

Now the team shifts it’s focus on next’s year qualification tournament for the 2012 Paralympic Games.
 

Team Canada Women Schedule/Results: (all times shown in GMT):

 

vs. Great Britain – Thu. July 8, 2010 @ 11:45am – Win 54-39

vs. Netherlands – Fri. July 9, 2010 @ 2:00pm – Win 58-54

vs. Mexico – Sun. July 11, 2010 @ 6:45pm – Win 69-44

vs. Australia – Mon. July 12 @ 12:15pm  - Loss 59-53

 

Quarterfinals vs. Japan – Wed. July 14 @ 6:45pm – Win 62-39

 

Semi-final vs. USA – Thu. July 15, 2010 @ 6:30pm – Loss 68-58

 

Bronze vs. Australia – Sat. July 17, 2010 @ 9:30am – Win 59-49