EDMONTON, Alberta (August 6, 2022) -- In Canada Basketball 17U Men’s National Championship action, Québec took down Ontario 92-76 to claim the 17U Men's gold medal. Felix Kossaras finished with 18 points and 12 rebounds while Christopher Kumu Sheka Paraison had 18 points as Québec prevented Ontario from completing a full sweep of gold medals in the 17U and 15U Men’s and Women’s National Championships.

Hensley Ward Jr. led Ontario with 17 points in the loss as Ontario shot 37 percent from the floor. In comparison, Québec shot 49 percent in a game that was otherwise evenly matched. Québec held a three-point lead after the opening quarter and maintained that three-point lead, 44-41, at the break after a pull-up jumper from Jean-Nicholas Bessette with four seconds remaining in the half.

In the third quarter, Ontario tied the game multiple times, but were unable to ever get in front. A dunk from Ludovic Tournier made it a nine-point lead for Québec with 1:37 remaining in the quarter and then Bessette connected on a three-pointer to extend the lead to 12. Québec went into the fourth leading by 10, 66-56. Ontario continued to push until the final buzzer, but never got any closer than five points in the fourth quarter.

In the bronze medal game, British Columbia outlasted Alberta 121-102 as three players topped the 20-point threshold in the win. Torian Lee had a game-high 24 points while also dishing 12 assists to go with five steals. Irish Coquia scored 23 points and had seven steals and Cole Bekkering had 22 points and six steals as British Columbia recorded 33 steals to just six steals for Alberta. Though Alberta shot 53 percent in the game, British Columbia’s defence helped force Alberta into 48 turnovers, while British Columbia turned the ball over just 18 times in comparison. British Columbia made Alberta pay for those extra possessions, making 13 three-pointers to Alberta’s seven.

Colby Anderson led Alberta in the loss with 21 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists while Cian Smith scored 21 points and Maradama Benjamin added 18 points.

British Columbia wasted little time getting going, jumping out to a 14-3 lead and then a 20-7 lead in the opening quarter before Alberta punched back, and trailed by just three after the first 10 minutes. A layup from Nate Waldron to open the second quarter trimmed the British Columbia lead to just a point before Coquia responded with back-to-back three-pointers to put British Columbia ahead by seven. A layup from Coquia made it a double-figure lead for British Columbia, and then a three from Lee extended the advantage to 13 points, 36-23, with 7:06 remaining in the half. After Anderson got Alberta within nine points with under a minute to go in the quarter, British Columbia closed the quarter on a 7-0 run to take a 16-point advantage into the break.

In the third, a three-pointer and then a floater from Alberta’s Nate Maxwell, trimmed the deficit to seven points with 6:34 remaining in the quarter. Another three from Coquia put British Columbia back ahead by 12 points and Alberta wouldn’t be able to trim the lead heading into the fourth.

In a high-scoring final quarter Alberta had no problem scoring, but were unable to slow British Columbia’s offence as British Columbia erupted for 38 points in the fourth en route to their bronze medal victory.