Canada have booked their shot for a medal at Paris 2024 in 3×3 Basketball after victory against Australia in the last round. Taking part in the competition for the first time and qualifying first is nothing short of a great accomplishment for the Canadian women’s team.
The star of the show for Team Canada was Paige Crozon whose two-point shot from wing position sealed the historic moment for Canada
🇨🇦 CANADA SWEEP PAST AUSTRALIA TO BOOK A SEMI-FINAL SPOT! 🔥#3x3Basketball #Paris2024 #Olympics pic.twitter.com/Q6JA1Nc7aA
— 3×3 Basketball |FIBA3x3 (@FIBA3x3) August 3, 2024
“It’s been such an up-and-down journey for us,” said Kacie Bosch to Olympics Canada. “All of the games are so tough… we had some really tough, close ones, but our team never gives up on each other.”
Despite the fact that Canada arrived on the penultimate day after two heartbreaking defeats against the US and Spain, they continued to believe and proved to themselves that their name was going to be etched into history.
On the same day in which Canada tumbled last Australia to seal the deal, they also defeated strong Azerbaijan to incite a small spark of hope by defeating that nation on the same day.
With 1:27 minutes left in that game, Michelle Plouffe slammed home a two-pointer to make it an exciting finish to that match. In the end, Canada won against Azerbaijan (17-14) by just a few points, and Plouffe’s last shot was the difference between the two teams.
Clinical Stuff in a Do-or-Die Clash
With a score of 21-11, Canada’s win against Australia can be seen as one-sided, but it’s important to remember that the Aussies arrived into this game after registering their first win of the Paris 2024.
Bosch spoke after the win about the team’s strategy and how they dominated Australia in the opening minutes.
“My team always has confidence in me even when I don’t have confidence in myself,” said Bosch who went a perfect 6-for-6 from the field. “I knew that they believed in me and I just wasn’t thinking about it, and I let it fly.”
Bookies Favour Canada at Paris 2024
The Canadian team has done a good job at defensively disciplining itself so far, and this is likely to be the mantra going into the big medal matches. There were ten turnovers made by them and a shooting percentage of 30.4% against the Aussies, which was commendable.
Playing for a medal in Paris is “huge.” “It’s been a journey,” she said, her voice catching in her throat. “Our goal was to play in the Olympics. But we’ve just built so much belief and unity and trust in each other. And we’ve just really had a lot of faith on the journey.” Michelle Plouffe said to CBC.
The Canadian women’s team will now face a strong Spanish team on Monday, a team which dominated the team earlier at Paris 2024. In light of the fact that Spain is the favorite, Canada will look to sneak through the underdog tag and write history on the field.
However, the market backs Canada with PointsBet backing Canada to win gold at +125 odds while Spain at +600 odds rate.
