Promising women’s team fails to advance

And so it ends.

Having ceded control of their own destiny, Canada’s senior women’s basketball team had to hold on and wait for other teams to do them a favour.

That didn’t happen. Canada is out in Tokyo ahead of the quarter-finals, a bitterly disappointing fate for the No. 4 ranked team in the world.

Canada had come to Japan with a podium or bust mentality.

But Australia’s 27-point win over Puerto Rico Monday meant the Aussies were through, with the final quarter-final spot.

They needed to get their first win of the tournament and to do it by more than 24 points, or else Canada would eke in.

Leading by 19 entering the fourth quarter, Australia, sensing the spot was there for the taking and that the Puerto Ricans could not stop them, turned things up a couple of notches late and pulled away for the final margin.

After falling 76-66 to Spain on Sunday morning, all Canada could do was watch and hope.

A tourney-opening loss against Serbia where Canada looked discombobulated far too often set the stage for what was to come.

Even though there was a rally and Canada had a chance, Serbia pulled out that win.

The Canadians were far better in a blowout win over South Korea, an encouraging result that hinted at what they were capable of.

But Spain handled them pretty easily and was clearly the superior team.

South Korea could have then advanced Canada by beating Serbia, but didn’t.

The United States could have done the same by winning by at least 15 over France. Instead, that margin was 11 for the Americans. Nigeria couldn’t beat host Japan and that left only Puerto Rico to help Canada.

The Canadian program had hoped to bring a modernized, dynamic, attacking game to Tokyo and at times that happened.

But mostly they bricked three-pointers.

Turnovers were an issue and defence — where this group has long held its hat — was shockingly an issue far too often.

Mainstays Kim Gaucher and Miranda Ayim have now played their last games for Canada Basketball after decades of massive contributions.

But other key players should still be in their primes for the next Olympic and World Cup cycle and young Laeticia Amihere flashed some of her immense potential against Spain.

But at some point they’ll have to get some big results.

They’re simply too talented not to.

And the Canadian women can at least say they make every big event, something their hard luck male counterparts can’t.

But this group had significant dreams and expectations and fell well short.

The sting of that will be felt for years.