Canada’s women’s 3×3 basketball team has picked up right where it left off.
The two-time defending Women’s Series champions won the first stop of the 2024 campaign on Wednesday in Springfield, Mass., capping the title with a 20-18 victory over the U.S.
The Canadians finally broke through in the back-and-forth contest when Paige Crozon swished a two-pointer with about one minute remaining to break a tie against a star-studded American side, including ex-LSU star Hailey Van Lith and Rhyne Howard, who was the first overall pick by the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream in 2022.
Edmonton’s Katherine Plouffe was named tournament MVP after recording seven points and five rebounds in the finale. Twin sister Michelle Plouffe scored a game-high eight points, while Crozon of Humboldt, Sask., notched five points including that crucial two-pointer.
WATCH | Canada tops U.S. to win Springfield stop:
Mike Bartlett is the President & CEO of Canada Basketball and has seen the program grow exponentially. He believes the national teams can shock the world during the 2024 Olympics.
Kacie Bosch, the Lethbridge, Alta., native, rounded out the Canadian squad but did not find the scoresheet.
Van Lith and Cierra Burdick led the U.S. with five points apiece.
The championship game was evenly matched throughout, with neither side able to build a lead bigger than three points. But Canada’s experience together shone through in the final minute, as sharply executed movement led to open looks and eventually the win.
Despite their success on the Women’s Series circuit, Canada has still yet to qualify for the Paris Olympics.
WATCH | Canada Basketball president says 3×3 team can be part of Olympic moment:
Paige Crozon is working toward earning Canada a spot in women’s 3×3 basketball at the Paris Olympics, and the single mother says her daughter has been a big part of the journey.
It will receive its first shot at a tournament running May 3-5 in Utsunomiya, Japan, where only the winner among the eight-team competition books its spot.
Then, the Canadian women will have one last shot at a qualifier from May 16-19 in Debrecen, Hungary, in which three of 16 teams will receive the final places in Paris.
Men’s Olympic qualifiers also run concurrently to each of these tournaments, but Canada will only participate in the latter.
The Women’s Series picks back up May 29 with a stop in Marseille, France.
