France – Canada’s fourth and final game of the 26th World Douai Exhibition Tournament took place on Sunday, with Canada going on yet another convincing second half run to beat Croatia by a score of 88 to 74.  

To start the game, Croatia jumped out of the gates to take an early 11 point lead in the first quarter.  Although Canada chipped away at the lead in the second frame, Croatia went into halftime carrying a 7 point lead.  

A determined Canadian squad hit from all cylinders in the third quarter, outscoring the Croatians 37 to 12 during the ten minute stretch.  The team was able to create transition opportunities, get to the free throw line, and convert on their three point attempts.

Canada’s lead grew in the fourth quarter, with Marial Shayok (Ottawa, ON) leading the way with 23 points for the game, and Patrick Steeves (Montreal, QC) also adding 20 points on 7 for 13 shooting.

The team wrapped up the 26th World Douai Exhibition Tournament with 2 wins and 2 losses.

For the boxscore, click here.

France – The Cadet Men’s National Team lost their second straight game at the 26th World Douai Exhibition Tournament on Saturday, falling to Egypt 92-81.

Canada got off to a slow start, trailing by 5 after the first quarter.  Anthony Pate (Oakville, ON) sparked a 10-3 run in the second quarter to give Canada a one point lead heading into halftime.

Egypt came out attacking the basket in the second half, outscoring Canada 32-16 in the third quarter.  Free throws were the difference in this game, with Egypt attempting 32 free throws compared to Canada’s 12.  

Jake Babic (Oakville, ON) shot the ball well for Canada and finished with 13 points.  Chris Egi (Markham, ON) finished with a team-high 7 rebounds, including 6 on the offensive end.    

The final game of the tournament will take place on Sunday, with the opponent to be determined later today.  

For the boxscore, click here

France – Despite a fierce rally in the fourth quarter, Canada could not follow up yesterday’s win with another as they fell short to France 68-63 in the second game of the 26th World Douai Exhibition Tournament.

Canada trailed 34-27 at halftime as France went on a 10-0 run in the second quarter, converting on 50% of their 3-point field goal attempts in the first half.  

France continued their strong play in the second half, expanding their lead to 13 late in the third quarter. However, much like the dominating second half performance against China on Thursday, Canada, led by Kevin Zabo (Gatineau, QC), made a strong push in the final 10 minutes to close the gap to within 3. Zabo demonstrated his ability to draw contact and get to the line, connecting on 7 of his 8 free throw attempts.

Canada could not complete the comeback however, as Zabo missed a potentially game-tying 3-pointer with 15 seconds left in the game.  "We shot 2 for 19 from the 3 point line against a good team and still had two open looks to tie the game in the last minute but they just didn't drop” said Coach David DeAveiro.  “"We are still learning to execute offensively, especially against a zone."

Malcolm Duvivier (Toronto, ON) played another sold game, finishing with a team high 16 points on 7 for 12 shooting. Tyrell Bellot-Green (Toronto, ON) led the way for Canada on the boards with 9 rebounds for the game.

Canada will now face Egypt tomorrow at 9am EDT.

For the boxscore, click here.

France – The Cadet Men’s team opened up the 26th World Douai Exhibition Tournament with a 99-76 win over China on Thursday.

"It was nice to play someone else after a good training camp of competing against each other", said head coach David DeAveiro. "We played a very good China team, and I think our depth wore them down."

The two teams went back and forth in the first half, with Canada holding on to a slight edge (45-43) heading into halftime. Marial Shayok (Ottawa, ON) led Canada’s balanced attack with 10 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 steals at the half.

Canada was able to gain control of the game late in the third quarter as Malcolm Duvivier (Toronto, ON) hit key baskets to open up a 12 point lead to finish the quarter. The team never looked back as they continued to stretch the lead in the final frame, outscoring China 23-12 in the quarter.

“Our bench was outstanding, they gave us a great contribution and we were balanced throughout the lineup." DeAveiro said. "There are a few things we need to improve on and will continue to work as the tournament progresses."

Five players finished with double digit scoring, as the team shot 50% from the floor.

"Our defense will be the key, it leads to easy baskets and I think we can be very disruptive on that end of the floor" said Canadian guard Patrick Steeves (Montreal, QC).

Canada will face France on Friday at 11:30am EDT

Click here for the boxscore.

‍