Canada dominates Mexico and Colombia, outscoring opponents 26–2 in women’s 3×3 play
OTTAWA, ONT. –The women’s 3×3 tournament tipped off Sunday at the Youth Parapan American Games with Team Canada opening strong, earning back-to-back victories to start their campaign in Santiago, Chile.
Canada cruised past Mexico 11–1 in their opener before rolling to a 15–1 win over Colombia to close out the day.
Kayla MacKinnon credited the team’s preparation for the success on the court on Sunday.
“We discussed before the game being hard on chairs, talking to each other, switching when appropriate,” MacKinnon explained. “That was kind of our goal: to push out early and just talk to each other, make sure we knew if a pick was coming, and that really worked well for us.”
MacKinnon admitted the 3×3 game is an adjustment from playing 5-on-5.
“I think the biggest difference from 5-on-5 is the intensity and quickness,” MacKinnon said. “You usually have a bit of time to get used to the game in 5-on-5, but here you need to be ready immediately.”
Team Canada resumes 3×3 action Monday with games against Argentina (8:25 a.m. EST) and Chile (9:40 a.m. EST). Approximately 3,800 athletes, aged 12 to 23, from 20 countries, are competing in 12 sports at the 2025 Youth Parapan American Games.
Chowdhury led Team Canada to an 81–28 win over Mexico on Sunday
Nasif Chowdhury had a game-high 22 points, leading Team Canada to a convincing 81-28 victory over Mexico in the men’s 5-on-5 tournament at the 2025 Youth Parapan American Games on Sunday.
Chowdhury added six rebounds and four assists and finished 10-of-13 shooting in the win as Canada improved to 2-0.
Brandon Louie contributed 19 points, six rebounds and three assists, while Simon Mazi-Keep chipped in 10 points and four rebounds off the bench.
Canada finished the game shooting 55 per cent from the field on 38 of 69 shooting, and out-rebounded Mexico 49–30. Team Canada dominated the paint with 62 points, turning Mexico’s 25 turnovers into 28 points. Defensively, Canada’s press limited Mexico to just 24 per cent shooting.
Thai Milton finished with nine points and three rebounds in just over 17 minutes of action on Sunday.
“Felt good with the new role. Not used to it. Once I got into it, it was nice,” Milton said. “This tournament is definitely more fun than the Under-23 Worlds.”
Team Canada’s bench helped push the lead to 50, 66-16, through three quarters.
Cameron Gelowitz had four points on 2-of-3 shooting in the period, while Mazi-Keep added four points in the third quarter.
Canada outscored Mexico 20–4 in the second quarter to take a 45–8 lead into halftime.
Chowdhury and Louie led the offensive charge, combining for 30 points through two quarters on impressive shooting efficiency — Chowdhury connecting on 7-of-9 attempts and Louie hitting 7-of-8. Bernard Rosello contributed four points and five rebounds, while Mazi-Keep provided a spark off the bench with six points and an assist.
Canada shot 55 per cent from the field at the break and held Mexico to just 4-of-25 shooting, controlling the paint with 34 points and forcing 16 turnovers that led to 15 points.
Team Canada came strong in the opening quarter, building a 25–4 lead after the first period.
Louie led the way with 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting, while Chowdhury added 10 points and a pair of rebounds. Canada shot an efficient 52 per cent from the field and dominated the paint with 18 points inside, while forcing 13 Mexican turnovers that led to 11 points.
Thai Milton chipped in with three points off the bench as Canada’s defensive pressure held Mexico to just 22 per cent shooting from the field.
Up next, Canada plays Colombia in men’s 5-on-5 action on Monday at 5:30 p.m. EST.
“During practice, we’re going to work on defence, offence, and our chair positioning,” Milton said of preparation for Monday’s contest.
Full statistics from Sunday’s men’s game against Mexico can be found here.
The 2025 Games are the sixth edition of the event, which was first held in Barquisimeto, Venezuela, in 2005. Subsequent editions took place in Bogotá (2009), Buenos Aires (2013), and Bogotá (2023), following the postponement of the 2021 Games due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The complete schedule and results from the 2025 Youth Parapan American Games can be found here.