Women's U-17 World Cup: Group Stage Review

Canada's women have had great success in international basketball in recent years and this year's 2022 Under-17 World Cup was a chance for the next generation of the nation's players to show the team will go from strength to strength.

The team of twelve headed for the Hungarian city of Debrecen to begin the sixth edition of this tournament beginning with the group stage, where the sixteen teams were arranged into four groups of four, the results here determining the paths in the knockout stage. Playing in Group C, Canada would be facing stiff opposition from the start.

Their campaign began with their toughest test of the group stage in Spain, a match-up that was a close affair from the outset with no more than four points separating the teams until midway through the second quarter. Spain's three-point shooting saw them break away and Canada tried to close the gap, only to then be held to six points in ten minutes while Spain built a ten-point lead.

Cassandre Prospre reduced the arrears and Bree Robinson tied the game with a three in the fourth quarter, the score line remained level for a long time afterward with both teams missing chances to go ahead down the final stretch. In the last minute Iyana Martin Carrion made a layup and Habtenesh Mayam Calvo Salve added one from the line to seal the narrow victory for Spain.

Prospre led all with 14 points, 12 rebounds and 7 steals, followed by team mate Toby Fournier with 11 points and 15 total boards, small consolations in this narrow loss, but had a chance to avenge it the very next day against South Korea.

Canada held a narrow lead over the Koreans at the start, but Fournier and Prospre locked up the defence from the outset and the team found some scoring rhythm towards the end of first quarter, which led them to begin the second by taking a double-digit lead. South Korea were regularly held to scoreless stretches while Canada continued to add to their score line from close range, going on to finish with 62 points in the paint.

Fournier was outstanding in game two with 32 points and 17 total rebounds, while Prospre was a rebound short of a double-double to compliment her 15 points, while Sumer Lee finished with 13 off the bench as Canada got their first win in Hungary, 92-58 over South Korea.

All that was left for Canada in the group was Egypt, who had also won one and lost one, effectively earning the winner a more advantageous position in the knockout stage. After managing an early one-point lead, Egypt went cold for almost six minutes and Canada took full advantage, scoreing twelve points without reply and kept their opponents at bay from beyond the arc.

The game's leading scorer Jana Elafly led Egypt in closing the gap, but upping their game from close range the Canadians started to run away with it in the final quarter. Fournier and Prospre once again had double-doubles, with Deniya Prawl impressing on defence with twelve total rebounds as Canada secure second place in Group C win the 67-44 win over Egypt.

Winning all three of their group games, Spain finished first with Egypt ahead of South Korea having won their match-up by two. This sees them advance to face New Zealand, third in Group D, in the first knockout game; a win there and they would advance to play either Argentina or hosts Hungary in the quarter finals.

Updates on their progress will follow here in time, while more on every game can be found over on the official website for the FIBA U-17 Women's World Cup.