Finals Day for Canada in the 3x3 World Cup
The 2022 3x3 World Cup had been full of exciting first-class basketball which was dialed up on the final day of competition, in particular for the Canadian team. The team had excelled in the pool stage and overcame some of the toughest opposition there is to make it to the knockout stage and to day five.
After beating Germany in the play-in round just two more wins stood between them and the final and, as the last day unfolded, they showed they were ready to dig deep and do everything it would take to return home with a medal.
First up they faced the American team in the quarter finals. Both playing tough defence from the start there was no score for first minute, until Michelle Plouffe opened the scoring with a two for Canada. Kacie Bosch increased the Canadian lead but Hailey Van Lith was quick to close the gap for the USA. Cierra Budrick tied the scores midway through, after which two minutes went by without another bucket.
Katherine Plouffe finally broke deadlock with a layup, which she followed with a two, with another from Michelle soon after. Leading by five with a hundred seconds on the clock, Van Lith hit from in and outside the arc to make it a single possession game. When the game entered the final seconds Bosch and Katherine found open looks in the paint for Canada, who ran out the remaining time home to the four-point win.
From there they moved on to the semi-finals where Lithuania awaited. Like Canada, the Lithuanians had only seen one defeat so far in Antwerp, and with the teams seeming evenly matched their match-up could go any which way. When the semi final got underway the Plouffes connecting with one another for the first points. Lithuania attempted to respond with their post-up play, but came unstuck in the face of tough Canadian defence.
The sisters combined for six points, followed by a two from Paige Crozon, which saw Canada lead by eight. Kamile Nacickaite ended Lithuania's cold streak, but Katherine hit three more in a row, leaving the Lithuanians needing nine points with three minutes remaining. They had six without reply and Martyna Peterenaite hit two from the stripe, making it a two point game with just over thirty seconds left. The last shot of the game was Nacickaite's, who was blocked by Bosch, guaranteeing Canada's place in the final.
While in the end Canada's win over Lithuania was a big one, the other semi final was a far closer affair: China coming back from seven down but eventually lost to France by a single point. (China would go on to win the bronze medal) Canada were hoping this would bode well for them in the final, France's tough contest would leave them depleted and give them the best chance of going all the way.
The all-francophone final saw France's speed and agility monopolise possession early on and put the first points on the board. Katherine made it one-point game, which remained the gap following clumsy misses from both teams. The Plouffe combination followed on into the final, but France caught fire from two-point territory, hitting three in a row, while also connecting in the low post.
The French lead stood at six with three minutes to go, the Plouffes hit four in a row in one minute to close the gap. With time ticking down both stepped up their defence, where shot after shot falling short for each team. Still holding on to their lead in the last seconds, France held on to possession for all they had, but a final free throw from Paget put the result beyond doubt.
This was France's first 3x3 World Cup gold, and though Canada would have wanted it for their own, they made the podium on their first appearance in the tournament. Named to the all-tournament team, Michelle Plouffe was the team's leading scorer with 6.0 points per game, she and Katherine finished in the top ten of all scorers in the tournament, while Crozon was the fifth-best two-point shooter.
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