Junior Team Canada Win Prevents American Sweep At 2019 BABWGs

On May 11, 2019, the Canada Select Junior Team defeated their American counterparts by a score of 78-75 in double overtime, as a part of the Balln Across Borders War Games which took place in Toronto, ON.

Aaliyah Edwards was named Canada Select Junior Team MVP of the game. She scored 33 points on the win and was pivotal in the overtime periods for her team.

Also in the win, Louisville commit, Merissah Russell scored 23 points.

The Junior Game was one of 5 games taking place as a part of the The Balln Across Borders War Games which took place at Crestwood Prep in Toronto, ON. The overall event featured many of North America’s top ranked players with over 100 athletes representing 20 different Canadian provinces and American states, across various age groups.

In the Futures game, featuring players in Grades 7 and 8, the Canadian team lost to the Americans by a score of 84-81. Canada Select Junior Team’s starting Point Guard, Taija Sta Maria was names her team’s MVP. She scored 9 points in the game and set up many more. Leading the scoring for the Canadians was Milana Nenadic who scored 21 points, and their teammates Nyodie Guerard and Justiece Miller scored 10 each.

In the Freshman game, the Canadians fell 59-50 to the American Select Team. Dominique Ennis, a Point Guard from Brampton, ON was named the Canadian Select Freshman Team MVP. Ennis scored 8 points for her team, while fellow Canadian Lemyah Hylton scored 10 in the Grade 9 game.

The Sophomore game saw Shyanne Day-Wilson lead all scorers in the game with 21 points, but the Canadians came up just short falling 66-65. The game went right down to the wire with the Canadians scoring on a layup at the buzzer, perhaps looking for an ‘and-1’ scenario, instead of opting to take a 3-pointer to try to tie the game. Latasha Lattimore also contributed with 13 points, while Lisa Tesson added 9.

In the final game of the day, the Canadian Select Seniors fell 67-57. Alabama commit, Ahriahna Grizzle was named the Canadian squad’s MVP, with considerations also going to Xianna Josephs (East Carolina commit) as well as Makayla Ennis (Virginia Tech commit).