Canada's men's wheelchair basketball team finishes 3rd at Ottawa Invitational
U.S. claims 1st place with win over Netherlands at Carleton University Ravens' Nest
Canada's men's wheelchair basketball team finished third at the Ottawa Invitational tournament with a 63-47 loss to the Netherlands on Sunday at the Carleton University Ravens' Nest.
Patrick Anderson and Bo Hedges scored 10 points apiece for Canada, while fellow Paralympians Nik Goncin and Lee Melymick each added nine.
Gijs Even led the Netherlands with a game-high 18 points, and Mendel Op Den Orth added a double-double with 14 points and 14 rebounds.
The Canadians went 2-3 in the three-team tournament, which was won by the United States with a 59-46 victory over the Dutch earlier in the day. The five-day tourney, hosted by Wheelchair Basketball Canada, served as a final preparation for the upcoming IWBF world championships in Dubai, running from June 9 to 20.
"On the whole, our effort was there, and our fight was there, but our execution wasn't where it needs to be in a couple of weeks in Dubai," Anderson said. "I think overall, a step forward, but we need to go home and work on some things and then hit the ground running once we get to Italy for staging."
WATCH | Canadian men close tournament with loss to Netherlands:
Jorge Salazar and Brian Bell powered the reigning Paralympic champion Americans past the Netherlands on Sunday with 14 and 11 points, respectively.
Canada started the tournament strong with back-to-back wins, including a 67-55 victory over the U.S. on Friday, but they were unable to sustain the offensive success over the weekend.
"The States are a good team. They have a lot of athletes who are back who weren't there last summer. We haven't beaten them in a long time, so take that as a positive, but we have a lot of things that we still need to clean up," Canada's Colin Higgins said after the win.
Canada will compete in Group B at worlds against Germany, Thailand and Egypt. The Canadian men are also set to compete at the Parapan American Games (Nov. 17-26).
Ottawa will host the wheelchair basketball world championships in 2026.
WATCH | U.S. defeats Netherlands in Ottawa Invitational final:
