BC Teams in the Hunt for Double Gold at 2012 National Championships

From Wheelchair Basketball Canada webstie: 

 

(Richmond, BC) Both the British Columbia men’s provincial team and the BC Breakers women’s club team will compete for gold in their respective championship games at the 2012 National Wheelchair Basketball Championships set to unfold at the Richmond Olympic Oval on Sunday.

The women’s gold medal game is scheduled for 12:15 pm PST and will be followed by the men’s gold medal game at 2:15 pm PST. Both will be webcast online at www.wheelchairbasketball.ca.
 

Janet McLachlan

 

A pristine 39 point, 18 rebound performance by Vancouver’s Janet McLachlan launched the BC Breakers into the gold medal final of the women’s championships where they are looking for second win in three years. The Breakers last won the tournament in 2010.

McLachlan is averaging 30.3 points per game, which is almost double the tournament’s second highest scorer Edmonton’s Karla Tritten at 16.8 points per game.

“I think we have to continue to do the things well that have brought us success so far and gotten us into the final. Calgary is a great team and have shown in the tournament so far that they can press and really apply pressure, but if we play our game the way we have been the game is ours for the taking,” said McLachlan.

In the other semifinal the Calgary Rollers, led by Diane Sorensen’s double-double (26 points, 12 rebounds), defeated Quebec 59-51 to earn a berth into the final and remain the tournament’s other undefeated women’s team. Calgary leads the pack with the best point differential scoring a tournament high 253 points while allowing the fewest points against (139).

Thanks to some last minute heroics the BC Men will face rivals Ontario in the final for the third consecutive year. Erik Hagreen fuelled BC's berth into the finals by dropping a buzzer beating three-pointer ending their semifinal game 83-81 over Quebec.

Hagreen finished with a team-high 26 points in the game and heads to the final third in tournament cumulative scoring with 79 points. BC's Richard Peter secured a double-double with 11 points and 12 assists, while teammate Bo Hedges had 17 points and tied a game-high 8 rebounds.

Quebec’s David Eng was the game’s top producer with 34 points. He secured his lead in the overall tournament-scoring race and is averaging 24.5 points per game heading into the bronze medal final against Alberta Sunday at 10:15 am PST.

The British Columbia men, who are the five-time defending National Champions, suffered a setback in their bid to match a team record of six consecutive championships, when they narrowly lost to Ontario 67-65 in their final preliminary round game earlier in the day.

Patrick Anderson

Ontario boasted a starting lineup that included four out of their five National Team players that will represent Canada at the upcoming London 2012 Paralympic Summer Games. Patrick Anderson (Fergus, ON) paced the floor with a tournament high 38-point effort, and added 11 rebounds. Anderson is currently second in tournament scoring averaging 23.8 points per game.

 

“I think maybe there is a slight essence of revenge we will want to exact just because they beat us in the final the last two years. We’d like to get back on top where we feel we belong,” said Ontario’s Adam Lancia, who chipped in a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds against BC in the final preliminary round game.

Ontario is the only undefeated men's team in the tournament with a spotless 4-0 record, while BC heads to the finals with a 3-1 record and four players in the top seven in tournament scoring.

The 2012 National Championships is celebrating the theme of “Difference Makers” in honour of Rick Hansen and the 25th anniversary of the Man in Motion World Tour. The 25th Anniversary Relay will make its way to the Richmond Oval on Sunday, May 20, 2012 for a special public celebration following the championship games.

The tournament features elite players from across Canada, including members of the Canadian Senior Men’s and Women’s National Teams utilizing the opportunity to hone their skills in advance of the London 2012 Paralympic Games.

Visit the [Schedule & Results] page for a complete list of today's game scores.

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