| FINAL STANDINGS 1. Cuba 2. Brazil 3. CANADA 4. Mexico 5. Argentina 6. Venezuela 7. Puerto Rico 8. Dominican Republic | CANADIANS Claudia Brassard (Kuala Lampur, Malaysia) Michelle Hendry (Terrace, B.C.) Teresa Kleindienst (Mission B.C.) Dianne Norman (Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.) Karla Karch (Vancouver, B.C.) Kelly Boucher (Calgary, Alta.) Nikki Johnson (Niagara Falls, Ont.) Shawna Molcak (Cardston, Alta.) Stacey Dales (Brockville, Ont.) Elizabeth Hart Cynthia Johnston (Calgary, Alta.) Lisa Koop (Leamington, Ont.) Joby McKenzie Joy McNichol (Wingham, Ont.) Bev Smith – coach |
| POOL A | CUB | MEX | ARG | DOM | Record | ||
| Cuba | —– | 76-42 | 81-55 | 126-51 | (3-0) | ||
| Mexico | 42-76 | —– | 62-61 | 83-68 | (2-1) | ||
| Argentina | 55-81 | 61-62 | —– | 83-68 | (1-2) | ||
| Dominican Republic | 51-126 | 68-83 | 54-56 | —– | (0-3) | ||
| POOL B | CAN | VEN | PUR | BRZ | Record | ||
| Brazil | 72-66 | 83-48 | 102-56 | —– | (3-0) | ||
| Canada | —– | 101-40 | 60-49 | 66-72 | (2-1) | ||
| Puerto Rico | 49-60 | 74-59 | —– | 56-102 | (1-2) | ||
| Venezuela | 40-101 | —– | 59-74 | 48-83 | (0-3) | ||
| 5-8th | Dominican Republic 75 Puerto Rico 71 | |
| 5-8th | Argentina 59 Venezuela 49 | |
| Semi | Cuba 80 Canada 60 | |
| Semi | Brazil 76 Mexico 43 | |
| 7th | Puerto Rico 75 Dominican Republic 61 | |
| 5th | Venezuela 59 Argentina 49 | |
| Bronze | Canada 80 Mexico 37 | |
| Final | Cuba 90 Brazil 87 | |
Three Olympic spots are up for grabs among the eight teams. The two finalists and the bronze medal champ qualify.
In their opener against Venezuela, Claudia Brassard of St-Hilarion, Que scored 15 and grabbed 9 boards as Canada routs Venezuela 101-40. Canada got into foul trouble early and Venezuela controlled the tempo, getting into the bonus situation after a mere 11 minutes of play. But the Canadians held the Venezuelans to two points in final seven minutes of the half. They completed dominated the second half. Claudia Brassard scored 15 and grabbed 9 9 boards. Michelle Hendry added 14, Teresa Kleindienst 10 and Dianne Norman 10. “This was a good solid win,” said coach Bev Smith. “I’m happy with our team’s ability to react to the adjustments we made early and was pleased with the overall effort at both ends of the floor. The point production and contributions from our younger players is particularly rewarding. It was a good start to the tournament.”
Kelly Boucher scored 12 and nabbed 11 rebounds to lead Canada past Puerto Rico 60-49. Kelly Boucher also scored 12 and grabbed 11 rebounds. Michelle Hendry scored 11, while Dianne Norman grabbed 12 boards. Played good defence, Smith said. “We shot poorly but played very tough defence and controlled the boards. This provided us with great opportunities and possibilities to put points on the scoreboard. We showed a lot of heart today and let our defence carry us through.”
Canada drops third game to Brazil 72-66 despite leading the whole game until the final five minutes. Nikki Johnson led Canada with 13 points. Kelly Boucher added 12. “The first couple of games against Venezuela and Puerto Rico we played not too bad,” said Shawna Molcak. “The competition wasn’t very strong. The third game against Brazil was a game we could have won, as we were ahead at one point and we end up losing a close game in the end.” Canada finishes (2-1) in pool play and advances to semi-finals.
Canada loses 80-60 to Cuba in the semis. Karla Karch led Canada with 14. Shawna Molcak added 11. “We played hard and aggressive in the first half. But Cuba’s aggressiveness wore us down,” said Smith.
Canada qualifies for the Olympics by thrashing Mexico 80-37 in the bronze medal game. Kelly Boucher scores 15 points and grabs 6 boards. Michelle Hendry scored 13 and grabs 5 boards. Nikki Johnson scored 12, Karla Karch 11, Dianne Norman 10 and 7 boards. “There aren’t a lot of words to describe how we feel,” said head coach Bev Smith. “Before the game we talked about things we can control. We talked about controlling the boards and we out-rebounded them. As a team, we put on a clinic about character, defence and execution. We’ve come a long way as a team in two weeks.” Canada dominated the boards 31-12. Canada jumped to a 39-23 lead at the half and were never challenged. They shot 12-15 from the line and .400 from the arc.