The Canada Basketball National Championship 2024 came to a close this past Saturday with the women's tournament in St. John's, NFLD and the men's tournament in Toronto, ON. Here's some of what you missed for our NB teams!
Our 15U girls battled hard throughout the week. They started things off on day one with a tough double-header against Alberta followed by Newfoundland. The battle with Alberta was a challenge and unfortunately, the girls were not able to pull out a win. With one game under their belt, they came into their Newfoundland match-up with a new desire to win. After battling for 40 minutes against the host team, they managed to pull off a win 65-57 with notable performance from Anna Keech, contributing 15 points to the teams total and securing 12 rebounds. Not far behind her was Alex Clowes with 12 points and 9 rebounds. The next two days did not get any easier for the group, battling against Manitoba and Nova Scotia. Both games unfortunately did not turn in their favor. Their final two match-ups with Newfoundland and Nova Scotia on day 4 and 6 brought more positive results with a strong team win over Newfoundland 64-57. Dominant performances were had by Isabella Dixon (15 points), Emily Fowler (14 points) and a double-double for Caroline Tucker (10 points, 10 rebounds). The team was not able to pull off a win against Nova Scotia on their final day, finishing 8th overall. Isabella Dixon (7.4 PPG) led the team in points per game. For more team stats, click here.
On the boys' side, our 15U team found great success on the first day with a dominant win over the Northwest Territories with leading scorers Westin Clark (16 pts) and Mekhi Paul (16 pts). Matched up with Nova Scotia on their second day, the boys battled hard for 40 minutes and while coming within striking distance could not close the deal, finishing 68-77. However, outstanding performances were had by Bryce MacKenzie (21 points) and Westin Clark (19 points). Bouncing back, the team pulled off another dominant win the next day over Newfoundland, finishing 108-39, with high point contributions from Westin Clark, Karl Mondesir, and Aiden Forbes, along with Jack Leger who secured 10 rebounds for the squad. With a strong showing, they secured a spot in the quarter-finals against a dominant Team Ontario. Unfortunately, the boys fell short in this match-up and were not able to advance. Their final two match-ups against NS and Saskatchewan gained them a 7th overall placement in the tournament. Westin Clark (13.5 PPG) and Bryce MacKenzie (14.3 PPG) led the team in points per game. For the full team stats, click here.
Moving up to the 17U division, our girls team started their week on a high with a dominant win over the Northwest Territories. The girls had several high scorers including Maddie Eustace, Neve Pearson, and Eden Searles who had 24 points and knocked down 6 threes for the squad in her first-ever National Championship game. Day two presented a new challenge for the team, falling short against British Columbia, however notable performances were had by Neve Pearson with 12 points and Nicole Jenkins with 12 rebounds. On day three, the team had a tight battle with a strong Nova Scotia team but fell just shy of the win, 59-69. The team had strong showings from Maddie Eustace and Neve Pearson, both contributing 17 points. Their final two match-ups against Newfoundland and Northwest Territories presented new challenges, and while they fell short against Newfoundland, they were able to pull off a big win against the Northwest Territories to finish off the week, 62-29. Maddie Eustace hit a tournament-high of 27 points against Newfoundland, while Carlie Best, Neve Pearson, and Sophie Doiron reached double-digit scoring against the Northwest Territories. The girls finished 10th overall. Maddie Eustace (16.5 PPG) and Neve Pearson (13.8 PPG) led the team in points per game. For more team stats, click here.
Last but not least, our 17U boys team started the tournament off strong with a big win over the Northwest Territories with double-digit scoring from Colin Tilley, Connor Leach, Jack Gimby, Jacob Christie, Marcas Evans, and Teddy Worley. Coming from such a high, the boys fell just short of Manitoba the next day, 79-9, but with dominant performances from Jacob Christie (19 points), Colin Tilley (19 points, 11 rebounds), and Jack Gimby (16 points, 11 rebounds). Day three presented an additional challenge against Newfoundland, with the boys falling five points shy. Colin Tilley once again led the team in scoring with 25 points and 14 rebounds. In their final two games, they faced the familiar Manitoba and Northwest Territories. They once again fell just shy of a win against Manitoba, with John Ngongo, Jacob Christie, and Colin Tilley hitting double-digit scoring. The boys were able to pull off a dominant victory over the Northwest Territories with each player putting points on the board and four players reaching double-digit scoring. (Colin Tilley, 20 points; Jacob Christie, 27 points; Marcas Evans, 10 points; Max McKinley, 14 points). The boys finished 9th overall in the tournament. Colin Tilley (19.4 PPG) and Jacob Christie (16.8 PPG) led the team in points per game. For the full team stats, follow this link.
Congratulations to all four teams on their performances and to individual players on their successes. See you this fall!
