Antibes (France) – Patrick Anderson scored a game-high 23 points CanadaThe men's wheelchair basketball team clinched a spot in the Paris Paralympics with a 72-60 win. Italy In the replay qualifying tournament on Monday.
Anderson added 12 rebounds for Canada.
Colin Higgins scored 14 points and grabbed 16 rebounds, and Vincent Dallaire and Nick Johnsen each added 11 points in the direct victory.
The repechage tournament was the last chance for teams that did not qualify for the Paris Games through regional qualifiers.
The Canadian men's basketball team has appeared in every Paralympic Games since 1968, winning gold in 2000, 2004 and 2012.
That run looked to be in jeopardy when Canada lost all three of its group stage matches in the repechage tournament before beating previously unbeaten Italy in a must-win match.
“For the team, the win was perfect in terms of getting contributions from everyone and building on the last three days, as crazy as that sounds,” said the 44-year-old Anderson, who has long been one of the biggest players in wheelchair basketball. stars.
He added: “Although we lost all three of our previous matches, we improved from one match to the next.” “We caught Italy on the wrong day, and we got great contributions from everyone. It was a really special win for the team.”
France, Germany The Netherlands were the other teams to secure Paralympic places at the tournament.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 15, 2024.
Canadian Press
