Canada Compete for Olympic Spot in Utsonomiya - Full Report
Eight women's teams took to the court in Utsonomiya vying for an early place in the Olympics, one of them being two-time World Series winners Canada.
Made up of two pools of four played over two days, the top two from each advancing to the knockout round on day three, with only one able to secure their Olympic spot here. After Azerbaijan's shock win just weeks ago which secured them a place in Paris, anything was possible in a similarly varied field in Japan.
The formidable four of Michelle and Katherine Plouffe, Paige Crozon and Kacie Bosch once again donning the Canadian uniforms they were amongst the top contenders in this tournament and were at full strength to compete for the country's maiden 3x3 Olympic appearance.
Canada opened against Kenya, who gave them some trouble early on, but Paige Crozon took off and gave them a five-point lead. Kenya quickly closed the gap to a single possession, but after that they were locked out by the Canadian defence, allowing the team to dominate the rest of the game in the paint, finishing with a 7-2 run.
Crozon finished with 10 points, eight coming from beyond the arc. She continued her scoring streak into their second game against the Netherlands, from long and short distance, where she was complimented by Michelle Plouffe.
After six points unanswered they were leading by double digits, the Dutch only managing to find some open looks while unable to interrupt Canada's rhythm. Michelle hit five points in a row - the last of her game-high nine - and Crozon sealed the win with a two, Canada so far dominating with a 22-9 win over the Netherlands.
Victory over Australia would ensure them first place in the pool, but the Aussies, having suffered an overtime loss to the Netherlands and a win against Kenya, needed a win over Canada to make it to the knockout round.
The Plouffes gave Canada an early lead but soon saw Australia catching fire from two-point range, hitting three in a row and going up by one. Canada kept up the momentum but could not go back in front until a two from Michelle, which was matched on the other end by Alex Wilson.
Marena Whittle put Australia up by three with a minute to go, Canada tried to slow the game down but each time Anneli Maley was sent to the free throw line, she converted. The gamble did not play off an instead saw Australia win the game 21-16 and go top of Pool B.
Canada still made it to day three and would face Germany, who had to fight to finish first in Pool A with an overtime win over Brazil and a loss to Japan before a big win over Austria.
The first semi final on day three began with Katherine Plouffe and Svenja Brunckhorst putting up close range buckets early on for their respective teams; Crozon then hit three points in a row, putting Canada up by four.
Pressure in the low post from Germany kept it a single-possession game but they could not contain Crozon and Plouffe, who continued to convert open looks from all distances. Canada ended the game with four points unanswered, which punched their final ticket when they finished ahead 18-12.
They set up a rematch with Australia, after they defeated Brazil 18-16 in the other semi final, and when they met again in the final it was so close there was nothing to choose between the teams for much of the way through.
Canada were controlling possession, with the Plouffes regularly connecting with each other, but Australia holding them off with aggressive defence and were quick to act when possession came to them. Evenly matched early on, Katherine Plouffe put Canada up one halfway through the game, Australia then hit four in a row and Canada were slow to respond, finding it harder to complete passes or get shots to drop.
Kacie Bosch kept Canada in it with two from line ahead of final minute, and Katherine made it a one-point game ahead of the final shot clock. With the last possession of the game, Allie Wilson drew a foul for Australia and put it out of reach with two from the stripe. With no time left to salvage a win the final score stood at 19-16 to Australia, who punched their ticket to Paris.
An eventful long weekend in Japan ended in was heartbreak for Canada as they fell just short of the top prize. They still have a chance to make it to the Olympics at the final Olympic qualifying tournament later this month. Check back here for coverage beginning May 16th and see more on this tournament over on the official FIBA 3x3 website.
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