Team Canada defeated the Czech Republic 17-10 in the women’s 3×3 basketball Olympic qualifying tournament in Debrecen, Hungary, on Saturday. As a result, Canada won Pool B with a perfect record of three wins and no losses.
In Canada’s victory, Katherine Plouffe of Edmonton, Alta., led Canada with seven points, seven rebounds and three assists. Michelle Plouffe of Edmonton, Alta., had six points, five rebounds and two assists. Kacie Bosch of Lethbridge, Alta., had two points, five rebounds and two assists, while Paige Crozon of Humboldt, Sask., had two points and one rebound. The fact that Bosch had five rebounds was remarkable considering she is only 5’9″ and is Canada’s shortest women’s 3×3 basketball player.
Canada will now face Italy in one of four quarterfinal matches. The other quarter-finals will pit Spain against Poland, Germany against Japan and Hungary against the Czech Republic. The top three teams from the women’s 3×3 basketball Olympic qualifying tournament qualify for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
So far, five countries have booked their tickets to Paris among the women. These are Australia, Azerbaijan, China, France and the United States. It should be noted that Canada failed to send a 3×3 basketball team to the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo in 2021.
