Team Canada topped Brazil 79-49 in Thursday’s semifinals

OTTAWA, ONT. – Team Canada sealed its spot in the gold medal game with a convincing 79–49 victory over Brazil on Thursday at the 2025 Americas Youth Parapan Games in Santiago, Chile.

With the win, Canada improved to 6-0 and will face Argentina for top spot in the men’s 5-on-5 tournament on Friday at 5:30 p.m. EST.

The gold medal game will be a rematch of Wednesday’s 51-42 come-from-behind victory.

“Against Argentina better shooting will be our goal along with continued defensive play of being hard on chairs,” said head coach Darrell Nordell.

Nasif Chowdhury led the way on Thursday with a game-high 24 points on 10-of-15 shooting and added seven assists and four rebounds in the victory. Brandon Louie followed closely with 21 points, eight rebounds and six assists, while Ibrahim Odza chipped in a double-double, recording 10 points and 10 assists to go along with six rebounds.

Thai Milton added 10 points and four rebounds. Canada’s bench outscored Brazil 10-8, led by Cameron Gelowitz, who contributed eight points and two rebounds.

Defensively, Canada forced 14 turnovers, converting them into 19 points, and limited Brazil’s transition play to just two fast-break points.

Team Canada was efficient on both ends of the floor, finishing with 52 points in the paint and 37 rebounds while holding Brazil to just 38 per cent shooting overall.

“We executed our focus points by denying space, and our aggressive defence won us this game,” Nordell explained. “Having shooting from several different athletes also helped in today’s win against Brazil. Bernard Rosello and Cameron finishing inside Gelowitz was a bonus.

“It’s always beneficial to involve everyone, as we have athletes such as Simon Mazi-Keep and Judah Websdale who will be part of the next Men’s Under-23 group, along with Ibrahim Odza and Lucas Floer.”

Team Canada outscored Brazil 20–8 in the third quarter, extending its lead to 61–33 heading into the final frame.

Canada continued its strong play in the second quarter, outscoring Brazil 16–8 to take a 41–25 lead into halftime.

Chowdhury led all scorers with 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting, while Louie added nine points, seven rebounds, and six assists as Canada shot 54 per cent in the half.

Defensively, Canada tightened up, holding Brazil to just eight second-quarter points and 44 per cent shooting overall. The Canadians also forced seven turnovers in the half, converting them into seven points, and dominated inside with 18 points in the paint.

Team Canada came out firing in the opening quarter, shooting 71 per cent from the field to take a 25–17 lead over Brazil after the first 10 minutes of play.

Chowdhury led the way with 10 points on 3-of-4 shooting and went 4-for-6 from the line, while Milton added six points on 3-of-3 from the floor. Louie chipped in five points and five assists as Canada shared the ball effectively, recording nine team assists on 10 made field goals.

Defensively, Canada held Brazil to 53 per cent shooting and forced them into limited ball movement, allowing just three assists.

Full stats from Team Canada’s semifinals against Brazil can be found here.

Approximately 3,800 athletes, aged 12 to 23, from 20 countries, are competing in 12 sports at the 2025 Youth Parapan American Games.

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.

In women’s action, Team Canada capped off a dominant tournament with a 15–4 win over Colombia in the 3×3 final on Wednesday to secure gold at the 2025 Youth Parapan American Games.

The complete schedule and results from the 2025 Youth Parapan American Games can be found here.