Canada to play for women's 3x3 basketball medal at Paris Olympics

PARIS — A split eyebrow was not about to keep Kacie Bosch from the court on Saturday.

After all, it was do-or-die for Canada's women's 3x3 basketball team.

Bosch put up a game-high nine points and lead Canada to a 21-10 win over Australia in play-in action at the Paris Olympics, despite taking an elbow to the face that forced her to spend several minutes receiving medical attention on the sideline.

The victory clinched Canada's spot in Monday's semifinals and means the country will play for a medal.

Bosch made all seven shots she took Saturday, including a pair from beyond the arc, in her best Olympic performance yet.

“The team always has confidence in me, even when I don’t have confidence in myself,” she said, with tears welling and ample medical tape over her right eyebrow. “So I knew that they believed in me. So I just wasn’t thinking about it and I just let it fly.”

The 27-year-old guard from Lethbridge, Alta., is relentless every single game, even if she isn't an offensive powerhouse, said teammate Paige Crozon.

"We call her our little chihuahua because even if she doesn't take a single shot, she is such a lockdown defender and she gets all the rebounds and all the touches. And I think that just wears on the (other) team throughout a whole game," said Crozon, who contributed five points.

"For her to step up offensively and make every single shot that she took, she's put so much work into getting to this point and she's so deserving of that. There was the opportunity and she rose to the occasion. I'm so proud of her.”

A robust crowd — including Canadian men's national team captain Kelly Olynyk — took in the game at La Concorde, with many wearing ponchos or holding umbrellas as rain drenched the open-air stands.

The play-in matchup was Canada's second of the day, coming after the team topped Azerbaijan 21-19 to close out the preliminary round in fourth place with a 4-3 record.

Australia finished group play in fifth after dropping an 18-16 decision to France earlier on Saturday.

The Canadians jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the knockout game and never trailed. The team made 62 per cent of its one-point shots, 63 per cent of its two-pointers and had 12 rebounds.

“I think (the performance) just shows that everything we’ve been through is for a reason. And it has built us, our mental toughness, our trust, all the resiliency is because we’ve taken the road that has not always been the easy one. And not always by our choice," said Michelle Plouffe, who had four points in the effort.

Bosch hit a silky two-pointer 3:40 into the game to give her side an 11-4 advantage and Canada was up 15-7 at the halfway mark.

The Aussies had a three-point run with less than four minutes to play, but couldn't close the gap.

Crozon sealed the win with a deep two.

“I was just in the flow and I know that my teammates trust me," she said. "And if I miss, they always chase down my rebound, so there was no pressure in that moment.”

Anneli Maley led Australia with five points and was visibly emotional after the loss.

“All sports are really hard, especially at this level. I'm really proud of the group that we have. I'm really proud of the way that we played," she said. "That game isn't a reflection of how good we are or how much we have done.”

Canada will now face top-ranked Germany on Monday. The other matchup will feature Spain and the United States after the Americans downed China 21-13 in Saturday's late play-in game.

Germany and Spain advanced straight to the semifinals after finishing group play in the No. 1 and No. 2 spots respectively.

The 2024 Games mark Canada’s first Olympic appearance in 3x3 basketball, coming after the discipline made its debut in Tokyo.

Playing for a medal in Paris is "huge," Plouffe said.

“It’s been a journey," she said, her voice catching in her throat. "Our goal was to play in the Olympics. But we've just built so much belief and unity and trust in each other. And we've just really had a lot of faith on the journey.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 3, 2024.

Gemma Karstens-Smith, The Canadian Press