(Santo Domingo, DR) The Canadian senior men’s national is leaving Santo Domingo with another big victory as they took down The Bahamas 113-77 in the second game of a back-to-back series.
“We had a very thorough film sessions, a detailed walk-through that our guys did a good job of executing when it came game time,” said Canada’s interim head coach Nate Bjorkgren.
“There were some runs in that game, some highs and lows, but overall, for the most part, our guys were very well connected, again.”
While Canada took the lead behind 12 early points from Kyle Wiltjer, the team’s energy sputtered at the end of the second quarter, allowing The Bahamas to attack the basket at will and struggling to put together consistent offensive possessions. It wasn’t until after half-time that Canada blew the game open, with almost all of their players contributing to the 30-point lead.
Wiltjer once again led the Canadians in scoring with 25 points, CEBL stand out Kassius Robertson chipped in 15. Kenny Fred Cherry and former Ryerson Ram Aaron Best also added 10 points themselves.
Phil Scrubb continued to direct the offense with 13 points and four rebounds, while his brother, Tommy Scrubb, was all over the stat sheet with 10 points, eight rebounds, five assists, and three steals.
College Park Skyhawks’ A.J. Lawson came on in the fourth quarter and got some significant minutes to showcase his abilities. Contributing a quick dunk, nine points, and energy that pushed the Canadians’ lead even further out of reach for The Bahamas.
“We knew they were going to come out and play tough, and they gave us a good run in the first half especially, but we responded really well,” said Phil Scrubb.
Bjorkgren said there were times his team wasn’t as organized as he would have liked them to have been, leading to the defensive struggles, but credited his team’s focus and communication with the ability to clean up their play in the second half.
The win leaves Canada with a +78-point differential in the group, putting them in a solid position for the remaining qualifying games. Canada’s senior men’s national team is now done for the year but will return in 2022 when they face the Dominican Republic on Feb. 24 and the Virgin Islands on Feb. 27.
Photos courtesy FIBA/Canada Basketball
