Unsung heroes seal Canadian victory in women's wheelchair basketball opener

RIO DE JANEIRO — Cindy Ouellet and Janet McLachlan formed a formidable one-two punch for the Canadian women's wheelchair basketball team in its opening win against Great Britain on Thursday, but the heart of Canada's attack rested in the players working around them.

• Canadians shut out of medals on opening day of Paralympics

The Canadians 43-36 victory earned them revenge for their recent loss to the same British team at the Continental Clash on Aug. 4. Both Ouellet and McLachlan credited this win to the two unsung statistics of wheelchair basketball, picks and seals.

"It's something that doesn't show up on the stat sheet," McLachlan said after the win. "Picks and seals are not a stat that we keep in basketball unfortunately. It's one of those things that's invaluable to this game."

The use of a pick or seal in wheelchair basketball occurs when a player positions herself to block, or seal, out an opponent from reaching the ball or scoring areas so that their teammates have more open floor to work with.

These tactics created free space for McLachlan and Ouellet to operate like a quarterback and receiver in transition up the court, with many of McLachlan's 21 defensive rebounds quickly being passed ahead to Ouellet who used her excellent speed to reach the basket.

Ouellet's 14-point performance came as a personal relief, too, after she made just two of her 12 shots against Great Britain the last meeting for a total of seven points.

"It's good to get it off your shoulders in one game," said co-captain Ouellet, who was quick to praise the battling being done around her. "The other teammates matter more than me or my scoring. We wouldn't score without picks and sealing, and that's the key to our winning offence."

After missing the podium at both the London and Beijing Paralympics, the Canadian women have been able to keep the same core group of players together. The team has continued to tinker with its game since winning the gold medal at the 2014 world championships, and with a blend of skill and experience on this roster, they present a strong medal threat in Brazil.

"I can't put words to it, really," McLachlan said. "We have players that work so hard, but they work so hard for everybody else. We have players that do the scoring, but without those other players we wouldn't be able to do the scoring."

Among these unsung heroes of Canada's win were Jamey Jewells, Rosalie Lalonde and Katie Harnock. All three played over 30 minutes and had significant roles in the victory. Jewells even found herself starring offensively in the fourth quarter.

After slipping into the paint unguarded, Jewells took a clean pass from McLachlan and buried a big two points for Canada. The Donkin, N.S., native raised her fist towards the ceiling of Rio Olympic Arena before racing back down the court in time to grab the next rebound.

The Canadians face Argentina in their next game on Saturday at 8:30 a.m. ET.