Area players settle for hoops silver in Australia

The men’s basketball gold-medal game on the final day of the Commonwealth Games on Sunday in Gold Coast, Australia, was viewed as a David and Goliath encounter.

The host Australian team was assembled from its pre-eminent professional circuit, the National Basketball League. The Canadian team consisted of many top U Sports players from universities across the country.

It didn’t look like Canada could secure gold, especially after the round robin, where it posted a 1-2 record, losing to Australia and New Zealand. But when Canada defeated England in the quarterfinals and upset New Zealand with a buzzer-beating, three-point shot in the semifinals, there was a glimmer of hope. But it was not to be. Australia hit 45 per cent of its fieldgoal attempts against a weakening Canadian defence and captured the gold with an 87-47 victory.

The Canadian men’s basketball team, which included Carleton University’s Munis Tutu of Ottawa, University of Ottawa’s Jean Emmanuel Pierre-Charles of Ottawa and Queen’s University’s Mike Shoveller of Arnprior, earned silver.

Gatineau’s Natasha WatchamRoy, who won gold at the 2015 PanAm Games and bronze at the 2016 Olympics, was unable to add to her medal collection as Canada lost the women’s rugby sevens bronzemedal game 24-19 to England.

The National Capital region was represented by 18 athletes at the Games and 10 came home with medals. Wrestler Erica Wiebe of Stittsville led the parade by winning the women’s 76-kilogram class for her second consecutive gold.

The other six Ottawa and area medallists all captured bronze: Carp’s Joanna Brown, triathlon, women’s sprint; Ottawa’s Erika Seltenreich-Hodgson, swimming, women’s 200-metre individual medley; Ottawa Lions Track and Field Club’s Tim Nedow of Brockville, athletics, men’s shot put; Osgoode’s Derek Gee, cycling, men’s track team pursuit; Gatineau’s Ariane Bonhomme, cycling, women’s track team pursuit; and Gatineau’s Harley-David O’Reilly, boxing, men’s 81-kilogram class.