Nova Scotia will return from the Canadian basketball championships without any medals.
The under-15 boys had a chance to win bronze but came up short in a 67-54 loss to Alberta in Fredericton on Saturday. Nova Scotia led through the early minutes and the game was tied well into the second quarter but Alberta pulled away to take third place.
“We had a great summer together,” head coach Chris Rao said via Basketball Nova Scotia. “I want to thank Matt Skinn and Marcel Boudreau for all the time and effort they put into this summer. It was an honour to coach with BNS this summer and I’m so thankful for the commitment and positive attitide they brought to every weekend of practice and games even when it wasn’t easy.”
Kyle Munro was the top scorer in the loss with 14 points and Kirk Kline 11.
Quebec beat Ontario 88-78 to take the gold.
The under-17 boys lost 99-76 in the seventh-place game, also in Fredericton.
Jonah Crowther and Coby Tunnicliff each had 14 points and Nacari Smith scored 12.
“Not the finish we want as a team but this group has stuck together and kept fighting,” head coach Mat MacDonald said via BNS. “We’re proud of them as a staff for their efforts.”
At the girls’ championships in Victoria, B.C., the under-17 team came through with a 65-50 victory over Manitoba to claim fifth place.
Samantha Russell and Sydney Cummins tied for the team scoring lead with 18 points each and Maxie Grant chipped in with 11.
“Today Manitoba gave us another good game,” head coach Leah Martin said via BNS. “It can be hard to come back and beat a team that you’ve already played and beat at nationals. Our girls needed a spark to set the tone and today that was what Sydney Cummins did for us.”
The under-15 girls fell 75-47 to Alberta in the fifth-place game.
Lauren Hainstock led Nova Scotia with 15 points and Abby Mercer added 10.
