Canadian women advance to semis at 3×3 basketball World Cup

On Sunday, the Canadian women’s 3×3 basketball squad will compete for a World Cup medal in Belgium.

The 13th-ranked squad of Kacie Bosch, Paige Crozon, Katherine Plouffe and Michelle Plouffe advanced to the semifinals after a pair of victories on Saturday.

Canada defeated top-ranked Germany 22-13 in the Round of 16 before a 14-10 quarter-final upset of the two-time champions from the United States.

Michelle Plouffe said, “I’m just so proud to my teammates.” saidThe victory over the Americans, who were previously unbeaten in this year’s tournament, was a huge relief.

Canada took control of the game with a 6-1 run, securing a dominating 12-7 lead with just two minutes remaining.

The U.S. closed to within 12-10 coming out of a timeout but the Canadians put the game away in the final 30 seconds, converting at the line after American star Hailey Van Lith was assessed a foul.

Michelle Plouffe of Edmonton also landed a jump shot with 14 seconds left after Bosch of Lethbridge, Alta., took an elbow to the forehead and walked off the court with blood dripping down her face.

The sport made its Olympic debut at Tokyo 2020 but neither Canada’s women’s or men’s teams qualified.

Plouffe stated, “The competition is getting better and more every year that I’ve played.” said. “The talent on the court is improving.” That’s what we want for this game.”

The semifinals and medal games are on Sunday, beginning at 9:30 a.m. ET. Live coverage will be available on CBCSports.ca as well as the CBC Sports app.