(Toronto, ON) – Team Canada’s Cadette Women’s National Team (U16) took on Brazil this evening in Puebla Mexico. This was a war of attrition that saw Canada trailing throughout the first half. The second half however, was a different story. The Canadians stormed back and managed to come away with the 64-50 victory, improving to 3-0 in FIBA Americas action.The first quarter belonged entirely to Brazil as they came out of the gates firing. Canada had trouble adjusting to the Brazilian pace and their inside-outside play, leading to the Canucks trailing 21-13 after Quarter 1.
The second quarter was a much more traditional Canadian effort. They came out looking tough and determined to start dictating the flow of the game. Led by Shaina Pellington’s (Pickering, ON) relentless motor, they outscored Brazil 15-9 in the quarter, trailing by 2 points, 30-28 going into halftime.
Canada came out of halftime fired up, starting the third quarter on a 17-3 run, grabbing their first lead at the 8:10 mark of the frame. The Canadian squad outscored Brazil 19-9 in the quarter and held a 47-39 lead heading into the fourth.
The final frame was a back-and-forth battle but ultimately Brazil was unable to overcome the third quarter deficit that Canada created. Canada dashed any hopes of a Brazilian comeback finishing the fourth with a 10-2 run in the final 2.5 minutes, winning 64-50.
Canada was led by Kyla Shand’s (Saskatoon, SK) 17 points (6-8 FG) & 7 rebounds, Hailey Brown’s (Hamilton, ON) 10 points (7-10 FT), 6 rebounds & 3 blocks & Roxane Makolo’s (St-Hubert, QC) 9 points. Sarah Donovan (London, ON) chipped in with 8 points & 8 rebounds of her own. For a full boxscore, click here.
Canada’s next challenge comes tomorrow, Saturday June 27th 2015 in the reclassification round. Opponent and tip-off time TBD. Stay tuned to @CanBball on twitter for details.
For full team roster and coaching staff, click here.
