Wheelchair Basketball Canada Press Release:
Richmond, BC – With the tournament’s most outstanding offensive players at the helm the BC Breakers propelled themselves to a 77-56 win over the Calgary Rollers in the women’s gold medal final of the 2012 National Championships; while Ontario claimed first place in the men’s final with a golden 76-52 win over the BC provincial team Sunday at the Richmond Olympic Oval.
Women’s Gold Medal Final
The BC Breakers take home the Dr. Donald Royer Trophy and establish themselves as the top women’s club team in the country. Janet McLachlan continued to be an offensive juggernaut scoring a monstrous 47 points and 13 rebounds. She finished the tournament averaging 34.5 points per game, which is more than double the next highest person and was easily voted the tournament’s Most Valuable Player.
“It’s great winning at home in front of the crowd here and family and friends. And to be a part of the Rick Hansen event, it’s fantastic to win it here. It’s always good to win. Calgary came out and played a really hard game and we had to be sharp and luckily we were that today,” said McLachlan.
“Everyone played really well. We moved the ball well and played stretches of really good defense and we did what we needed to do to win so that’s what’s important.”
Men’s Gold Medal Final
Ontario claimed the Robert W. Jackson Trophy as national champions putting an end to BC’s string of five tournament wins in a row. They were led by men’s tournament MVP Patrick Anderson who scored 27 points, 14 rebounds, and 13 assists (all game-highs) to secure the tournament’s only triple-double.
Through the course of the tournament Anderson paced the floor with 24.4 points per game thanks to some terrific shooting. He shot 70.5% from the field (1st overall) and 83.3% from the free-throw line (2ndoverall).
“We’ve played BC in the finals three years in a row and it feels great to come out on top this time. I think it’s the start of a new Ontario dynasty and a really big step for the Ontario men’s program. We have a lot of younger players that are up and coming and this was an opportunity to get them involved, give them the experience and get them ready for future tournaments,” said Ontario All Star Abdi Dini.
Bo Hedges and Erik Hagreen who led Team BC were also selected for All-Stars.
All Stars & MVPs
Men’s MVP – Patrick Anderson - Ontario
All star – Abdi Dini - Ontario
All star – Chad Jassman - Calgary
All star – Bo Hedges - BC
All star – David Eng - Quebec
All star – Erik Hagreen - BC
Women’s MVP – Janet McLachlan – BC Breakers
All star – Tamara Steeves – Ontario
All star – Kendra Ohama – Calgary
All star – Cindy Ouellet – Quebec
All star – Lori Radke – Calgary
All star – Karla Tritten - Edmonton
The 2012 National Championships celebrated the theme of “Difference Makers” in honour of Rick Hansen and the 25th anniversary of the Man in Motion World Tour. The 25th Anniversary Relay made its way to the Richmond Oval Sunday for a special public celebration following the championship games.
The tournament featured elite players from across Canada, including members of the Canadian Senior Men’s and Women’s National Teams utilizing the opportunity to hone their skills in advance of the London 2012 Paralympic Games.
Final Men’s Standings
1 – Ontario
2 – BC
3 – Quebec
4 – Alberta
Final Women’s Standings
1 – BC Breakers
2 – Calgary Rollers
3 – Quebec
4 – Edmonton Inferno
5 – Saskatchewan
6 – Ontario
7 - Wildcards
Day 1 Men’s Results:
Men – Ontario 66 Alberta 31
Men – British Columbia 73 Quebec 63
Men – Ontario 67 Quebec 51
Men – British Columbia 77 Alberta 48
Day 2 Men’s Results:
Men – Ontario 67 British Columbia 65
Men - Quebec 81 Alberta 37
Men’s Semifinal – Ontario 60 Alberta 37
Men’s Semifinal – British Columbia 83 Quebec 81
Day 3 Men’s Results:
Men’s Bronze – Quebec 64 Alberta 38
Men’s Gold – Ontario76 BC 52
Day 1 Women’s Results:
Women – Quebec 56 Ontario 24
Women – Edmonton 69 Saskatchewan 18
Women – Calgary 56 Saskatchewan 18
Women – Edmonton 61 Wild Cards 21
Women – Calgary 65 Wild Cards 23
Women – British Columbia 49 Ontario 29
Day 2 Women’s Results:
Women – British Columbia 76 Quebec 59
Women – Saskatchewan 39 Wildcards 17
Women – Calgary 73 Edmonton 47
Women – Ontario 46 Wild Cards 37
Women’s Semifinal – BC 74 Edmonton 66
Women’s Semifinal – Calgary 59 Quebec 51
Day 3 Women’s Results
Women’s 5/6 – Saskatchewan 47 Ontario 34
Women’s Bronze – Quebec 50 Edmonton 48
Women’s Gold – BC 77 Calgary 56
For more information, including stats, and photos please visit: www.wheelchairbasketball.ca
About British Columbia Wheelchair Basketball Society
BCWBSis a non-profit organization formed in 1983 and registered with Revenue Canada as a charitysince 1985. The Society provides support to wheelchair basketball programs throughout British Columbia. For more information, please visit www.bcwbs.ca.
About Wheelchair Basketball Canada
Wheelchair Basketball Canada is the national sports governing body responsible for the organization of wheelchair basketball in Canada. It is a non-profit, charitable organization that is the Canadian member to the International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF).
Wheelchair basketball is a fast paced, hard-hitting, competitive sport that has emerged as one of the most competitive and athletic sports played at the Paralympic Games. Our senior national teams are held in high esteem around the world for the elite skill and control that placed them on the podium with a combined five gold and one silver medal in the last five Paralympic Games.
For more information, or to schedule an interview, contact:
Jody Kingsbury, Manager
Communications & Media Relations
Wheelchair Basketball Canada
T: 613-260-1296 ext. 204
C: 613-851-2337
jkingsbury@wheelchairbasketball.ca
Courtney Pollock, Coordinator
Communications & Media Relations
Wheelchair Basketball Canada
T: 613-260-1296 ext. 200
C: 613-291-6721
cpollock@wheelchairbasketball.ca
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