Canada come out on top in Americas Under-16 Championship group

Canada finished undefeated at the end of the group stage of the Under-16 Americas championship in Brazil.

Kirby Schepp's squad did not look back after getting the tournament off to a winning start against Uruguay. After twelve lead changes in the first quarter, Canada then took control, going on to take an ever-expanding lead.

Scoring 27 points in the fourth quarter while limiting Uruguay to just seven, they saw out a win by 101 points to 63. They went on lead the hosts Brazil from start to finish on the second day of competition, with Caleb Houstan registering 28 points and 10 rebounds. In both games they dominated the stat sheet, leading both on offence and defence.

They were similarly dominant in their final group game against Puerto Rico, never falling behind, though Puerto Rico had the advantage in some areas on offence. Not giving up their 33-point lead at the end of the third quarter, and with DJ Jackson posting 22 points off the bench, Canada won 96-76 and topped Group B. Uruguay finished second after a surprise win over Brazil, who were third, with Puerto Rico in fourth place.

Elsewhere the tournament has seen surprise results from the Dominican Republic - after a come-from-behind victory over Mexico in their first game, they went on to upset Argentina in their second, in which Jean Montero had one of the performances of the tournament with 42 points and 11 rebounds.

The team dropped their final game to the USA, 122-71, but even so still finished second in Group A. It was the second time the USA broke the 100-point mark, having won 104-52 over Mexico the day before - as always they are proving the team to beat. Argentina finished third following a 84-75 win over Mexico.

Canada will next face Mexico in the quarter finals. If they win this one they will go on to play either the Dominican Republic of Brazil in the semi-finals. In the other half of the bracket Uruguay will face Argentina and Puerto Rico take on the USA.

The knockout stage begins on June 7th. Keep checking back here for updates on the Americas Under-16 championship, while full details can also be found on the official tournament website.

Picture: FIBA.com