MÉRIDA, Mexico — There was no Miracle in Mexico for the underdog Canadians at the women's U16 Americas Basketball Championship on Monday night.
The favoured United States, expected to win its fourth straight gold medal at the competition, defeated Canada 79-59 in a game that was never in doubt.
The Americans, who led 41-20 at the half, are now 42-1 all-time at the championship tourney. The U.S. has eight gold medals, and has won 24 games in a row.
The U.S., which defeated Argentina 112-48 in Sunday's semifinal, was led Monday by tournament MVP Jerzy Robinson with 24 points and 14 rebounds. Tournament all-star McKenna Woliczko scored 14 and Lanie Grant chipped in with 11. The U.S. finished with 55 rebounds.
The 14-year-old Robinson is the youngest player to win MVP at the U16 Americas Championship.
Canada, which advanced to the final by defeating Puerto Rico 77-49 in Sunday's semifinal, got a 22-point effort from Savannah Swords. Chance Berry scored eight points and Deniya Prawl added seven. Canada only shot 33.3 per cent in the final, while the U.S. finished at 43.1 per cent.
Cearah Parchment of Canada was named to the tournament all-star team. The 15-year-old averaged 10 points, 6.7 rebounds, 3.5 steals and 2.2 assists per game.
Earlier Monday, Argentina defeated Puerto Rico 67-58 to claim the bronze medal in the seven-day tournament.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 19, 2023.
The Canadian Press
