The Junior Women’s National Team (JWNT) defeated Spain 58-53 in a tight match Friday night between the two teams. The victory gives Canada a 1-0 record to start off the Lanzarote tournament. The Junior Women go on to face Australia Saturday.  

Team Canada were neck and neck with Spain in the first quarter of the match with both teams exchanging scoring chances. Canada led Spain 17-14 after first quarter action. Spain responded in the second, but the score remained close with Spain leading 33-29 at the half.  

The close action continued in the second half with Spain continuing to lead 45-42 at the end of the quarter. A determined Canadian squad responded in the fourth with an 8-0 run and finished the game with a win. Team Canada kept Spain’s scoring to a minimal with only 20 points in the second half.

Guard Jamie Weisner led the team in scoring with 12 points while adding six boards. Forward Emma Wolfram dished out 11 points with a team-high in rebounds with seven. The game statistics are available here.

Head Coach Rich Chambers was very pleased with the outcome of the match. When asked about the game, Chambers responded, “The girls did a great job defensively in the second half. We held them to just 20. It was a great win against a quality opponent. In particular, our forwards and posts stepped up defensively in the second half. Emma Wolfram was extremely solid for us.”

Kamloops native Emma Wolfram stressed the team’s willingness to pull together in the last quarter. “We came with energy and that helped us to believe that we could win,” says Wolfram. “We showed composure and patience and we are looking forward to facing another tough opponent tomorrow night.”

Team Canada continues the Lanzarote tournament Saturday and will match-up against team Australia with a 12:00 p.m. (ET) tip-off.