Carleton Wins Silver With Canada, Qualifies For Worlds

After going undefeated en route to the gold medal game at the FIBA Americas U16 championships in Mexico, Team Canada, featuring Chatham’s Bridget Carleton dropped their only game of the tournament, an 82-48 decision to the USA, giving Canada the silver medal.

Carleton, who was a co-captain for Canada, scored 9-points in the loss. Canada held strong in the first half, keeping the score tied 27-27, but the Americans broke away in the second half.

Although coach Carly Clarke spoke of her disappointment, she also discussed the silver lining in Canada’s silver medal, as the finish qualifies Canada for the 2014 U17 World Championship for Women.

“We’re disappointed we didn’t take home the gold medal, but our girls should be very proud of their effort,” said Clarke in a Basketball Canada release. “It was tied at halftime and we battled incredibly hard. The USA went on a run early in the second half and we couldn’t recover from it. All in all, it was a successful tournament. We’re looking forward to carrying this effort through to the world championship next summer.”

After a strong performance with Canada, Carleton will also compete with Team Ontario this August at the National Championships. She will also undoubtedly be looked upon to help lead Team Canada at the 2014 World Championships.