2015 U16 Canadians Make History At FIBA Americas

 On June 29, the 2015 U16 Canadian Women’s National Team was the first Canadian U16 team to win a Gold Medal at the FIBA Americas Championships. They did so by defeating Brazil 72-71 in overtime in Puebla, Mexico.

“What a game. I’m incredibly proud of our girls – they kept their composure. We knew Brazil wouldn’t go away and it would be a tough 40-minute battle. It ended being 45 minute battle,” said Co-Head Coach Carly Clarke.

Early on in the battle, Canada found themselves down 11-6 against a Brazilian team that were seeking revenge from their 64-50 pool play defeat. Having battled back from the hole they found themselves in, they benefitted from a Roxanne Makolo 3-pointer at the end of the first quarter in order to draw level at 11-apiece.

The Canadian team continued their momentum into the second quarter, leading by as many as 11 points before settling on a 29-23 lead at halftime.

With Canada stretching their lead by one more by the end of the third to lead 44-37 going into the fourth, the Brazilians would not go out without a fight.

“Brazil made some huge shots down the stretch but we kept our composure and stuck to the game plan and that ended up paying off in the end”, said Clarke.

The Brazilian push, would see the game tied at 65 at the end of regulation. Overtime again would see Canada lead early only to present some tense moments. With only 7 seconds remaining Brazil made a dent in the Canadian four point lead, with a made 3-pointer.

With the tension on high after a Canadian timeout, they inbounded the ball to Roxanne Makolo who was fouled. And, although she missed both free throws, she recovered her rebound and Canada was able to run out the rest of the clock to lock in the win.

“I’m incredibly proud of our effort and incredibly proud of these girls for their passion, their pride and their unity. They stuck together through that whole game and whole tournament and we got a great result”, said Clarke.

She went on to describe the crucial element in the historic victory.

Alyssa Jerome accepts 2015 FIBA Americas Championship MVP award.

“The girls stuck to our number one key, which was rebounding, and I think that ended up being the difference in the game.”

For her efforts throughout the tournament, Alyssa Jerome was named the Most Valuable Player. She lived up to that billing in the Gold Medal game, leading her team with a 17 points, 12 rebound performance following up her double-double performance in the semis vs. Mexico.

Hailey Brown added 14 points and 9 rebounds and Makolo scored 12 points and collected 5 rebounds. Sarah Donovan was also a significant contributor scoring, 8 points and gathering 8 rebounds.