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July 17, 2010
IN THE NEWS...
Canada wins bronze at World Wheelchair Basketball Championships
Wheelchair Basketball Canada
The Canadian Women’s Wheelchair Basketball Team captured Bronze and reached the podium for the fifth consecutive World Championship with a 59-49 win over Australia Saturday.
Canada rallied from an 11 point deficit in the opening quarter to outscore Australia 40-20 in the second half. The Canadians seemed to get better as the game went on revving up their offense from an 8 point output in the first quarter to a 21 point surge in the fourth quarter.
The Aussies had no answer for Canada’s Janet McLachlan (Vancouver, BC) who continued to score and rebound at a torrid pace. She dropped 18 points and collected 20 rebounds to notch her seventh double-double in seven games. The Canadians top offensive weapon led all players in the tournament in both categories. She also demonstrated her ability to dish the ball finishing with a game-high 7 assists.
Canada’s first lead of the game came with just over 6 minutes remaining when Elaine Allard (St. Eustache, QC) sent a beautiful pass to McLachlan for an easy finish. The turning point came midway through a 13 point Canadian run that provided Canada with a comfortable 8 point lead. Australia was unable to recover and would only score 5 points in the final five minutes of play.
Once again Chantal Benoit (Mont St. Hillaire, QC) showcased her flair in big games coming through with 14 points. Tracey Ferguson (Holland’s Landing, ON) and Tara Feser (St. Albert, AB) each had 7 points. Cindy Ouellet (Quebec, QC) finished with 6 points, and Katie Harnock (Elmira, ON) potted 5 points. Jessica Vliegenthart (Victoria, BC) rounded out the scoring with 2 points.
“We played really well against the USA in the semi-finals and it was a tough game to lose. So we wanted to come out here today and keep playing well. We just kept fighting and it was a great effort. It’s my first international medal and it’s the first medal for a lot of my teammates as well. It is a really great feeling,” said Team Canada Athlete Janet McLachlan.
“The team has taken a few big steps since Beijing and we want to keep moving and keep taking those steps as we look forward to London.”
Heading into the tournament both the Canadian Men’s and Women’s Teams were the defending champions - having won gold at the previous tournament held in Amsterdam, the Netherlands in 2006. For the Canadian Women it was their fourth consecutive World Championship Title.
This year’s bronze medal performance marks a return to the podium for the Canadian Women who have been one of the most dominating teams in Canadian sport history. They finished a disappointing 5th place at the 2008 Paralympics in Beijing following four straight medals including gold in 1992, 1996, and 2000 Paralympic Games.
Now the team shifts it’s focus on next’s year qualification tournament for the 2012 Paralympic Games.
Canadian athletes and coaches will be available for scheduled interviews throughout the duration of the tournament.
To schedule an interview, or to request additional information, or images, please contact Emma Van Steen, Communications & Media Relations Assistant, at (613)-260-1296 ext. 200, or by email at evansteen@wheelchairbasketball.ca
Team Canada Women Schedule/Results: (all times shown in GMT):
vs. Great Britain – Thu. July 8, 2010 @ 11:45am – Win 54-39
vs. Netherlands – Fri. July 9, 2010 @ 2:00pm – Win 58-54
vs. Mexico – Sun. July 11, 2010 @ 6:45pm – Win 69-44
vs. Australia – Mon. July 12 @ 12:15pm - Loss 59-53
Quarterfinals vs. Japan – Wed. July 14 @ 6:45pm – Win 62-39
Semi-final vs. USA – Thu. July 15, 2010 @ 6:30pm – Loss 68-58
Bronze vs. Australia – Sat. July 17, 2010 @ 9:30am – Win 59-49
Wheelchair Basketball Canada is at the 2010 World Wheelchair Basketball Championships and will be providing frequent social media updates, video blogs, and photo galleries, in addition to daily recaps.
For more information visit: www.wheelchairbasketball.ca
Facebook: facebook.com/wheelchairbasketball
Twitter: twitter.com/WCBballCanada
Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/WheelchairBball
About Wheelchair Basketball Canada
Wheelchair Basketball Canada is the national sports governing body responsible for the organization of wheelchair basketball in Canada. It is a non-profit, charitable organization that is the Canadian member to the International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF).
www.wheelchairbasketball.ca
For more information, to request additional images, or to schedule an interview contact:
Emma Van Steen
Communications & Media Relations Assistant
T: 613-260-1296 ext. 200
evansteen@wheelchairbasketball.ca
Press Attaché Overseas:
Jody Kingsbury
Manager, Communications & Media Relations
T: 613-260-1296 ext. 204
jkingsbury@wheelchairbasketball.ca
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