Perfect Pools for Canada at the 3x3 AmeriCup: Recap

The biggest 3x3 tournament for Americas teams tipped off on November 12th in Miami, where twelve of the best men's and women's teams battled it out for the inaugural 3x3 AmeriCup crown. Right in the middle of it, in both camps, was Canada.

Top seeds in the women's tournament, Canada were represented by Michelle Plouffe, Paige Crozon and Catherine Traer along with a new face, Gonzaga and Lethbridge Pronghorns guard Kacie Bosch. There was a poignancy for the men's team as it would be the final appearance for captain and 3x3 proponent Steve Sir. He and his team mates Alex Johnson, Adika Peter-McNeilly and Bikramjit Gill would be working to give him the best possible final bow.

The women's team were playing in Pool A against Puerto Rico and Uruguay, while the men's draw saw them in Pool B, facing Saint Lucia and Argentina. The top two teams from each of the four pools, played across the first two days of the tournament, would then advance to the single-elimination round at the end of the long weekend on the beaches.

Day one began with the women's draw and Puerto Rico started off working to box out Canada in the lane, but the Canadians quickly made their height advantage felt. Plouffe's low-post play and Bosch's long-range shooting saw their lead go from one to eight by the midway point. After giving up six points without reply the Puerto Ricans tried to start some scoring rhythm, but their attempts to cut the deficit from beyond the arc kept coming up short.

Great team play with Bosch on fire from beyond the arc kept Canada in control of their opener, getting their AmeriCup campaign off to a winning start, 19-7 over Puerto Rico. Their second match-up against Uruguay was an even more one-sided affair; limiting them to just three points and ending proceedings early by scoring 22 in the contest. Winning the third Pool game 20-12, Puerto Rico clinched second place with Canada the first team to advance to the knockout stage.

The first game on day two saw Canada take on Saint Lucia in the men's tournament and there was no messing around against the Caribbean qualifiers. The first eight points of the game were Canadian and Steve Sir was perfect from beyond the arc, Saint Lucia just could not match up to them.

Canada's opening game lasted just four minutes and one second, ending with them as winners 22-4. Argentina then put up more of a fight but after a close start Canada went for nine points without reply, thanks to their greater hustle and team play. The points kept coming with a repeat of Sir's outside shooting and plenty of inside looks from the rest, Canada had control of the game and the win was inevitable.

This was the last chance for Argentina after a shock loss against Saint Lucia prior to their match-up with Canada. The 21-7 loss saw them eliminated, Saint Lucia through in second place and Canada pool winners with a perfect record.

Thoughts now turn to the business day of the tournament, where the inaugural 3x3 AmeriCup champions will be decided. The quarter final match-up for Canada's women's team will see them take on Mexico, who finished second place in Pool C behind Chile. The USA, who won both their pool games by the same score line of 22-2, have Dominican Republic as their quarter final opponents while the other tie will see South American rivals Brazil and Argentina face off for a semi-final spot.

Meanwhile the men's team will be facing Dominican Republic, who's 21-4 win over Guatemala earned them second place in Pool D, Saint Lucia move on to face Puerto Rico. Elsewhere big wins for the USA saw them win Pool A and set up a quarter final tie with Jamaica; they finished second in their pool after Brazil, who will face Mexico on championship day.

Check back here for the full report on how the final day went down and whether Canada will write their name into the history books in Miami.