(Calgary, Alta.) The hometown Calgary Rollers (2-0) and Team Saskatchewan (2-0) emerged undefeated in opening day competition at the 2015 Canadian Wheelchair Basketball League (CWBL) Women’s National Championship at Mount Royal University in Calgary, Alta.
The hometown Calgary Rollers picked up a decisive 61-40 win over the defending-champion B.C. Breakers in the opening game of the tournament. The Rollers outpaced the Breakers with a 15-2 run in the first quarter and never relinquished the lead. Kendra Ohama led the Rollers with 14 points, while Kady Dandenau countered with a team-high 14 points for the Breakers.
The Edmonton Inferno outlasted Quebec 57-37 in the second contest of the day. The Inferno held Quebec to just three points in the second quarter en route to victory. Arinn Young tallied a game-high 26 points for Edmonton in the victory. Élodie Tessier was the top point producer for Quebec with 14 points.
Saskatchewan entered the win column with a 66-43 decision over the winless B.C. Breakers (0-2). Shelby Harrower led Team Saskatchewan with 26 points, while Amanda Yan paced the Breakers with 15 points.
Calgary defeated Edmonton in the battle of Alberta with a 45-42 comeback win. Calgary erased a five-point deficit in the final quarter to overtake the Inferno in the final minute of play. Calgary’s Kendra Ohama produced a team-leading 17 points on the scoreboard. Kylee Evjen scored 14 points for Edmonton.
Saskatchewan concluded the day with a 71-58 victory over Quebec (0-2). Shelby Harrower was the offensive catalyst for the Saskatchewan side with 24 points, while Jade St. Pierre responded with 26 points for Quebec.
Round robin action resumes Saturday as the Edmonton Inferno take on Saskatchewan at 9 a.m. MT, as teams angle for position to determine which clubs advance to the medal games. The bronze and gold medal games take place on Sunday and will be webcast live.
About the Canadian Wheelchair Basketball League
The Canadian Wheelchair Basketball League (CWBL) was founded in 1986 and has two primary divisions: the Open division and the Women’s division. The league features wheelchair basketball club teams from across Canada and culminates each season with a national championship for both the Open and Women’s divisions.
The league is fully integrated as both divisions welcome athletes with a disability as well as able-bodied athletes to play in the spirit of competition. It often features some of the country’s best wheelchair basketball players, including past, present and future members of Team Canada.
About Wheelchair Basketball Canada
Wheelchair Basketball Canada is the national sports governing body responsible for the organization of the sport in Canada. It is a non-profit, charitable organization that is committed to excellence in the development, support and promotion of wheelchair basketball programs and services for all Canadians from grassroots to high performance. Wheelchair basketball is a fast-paced, hard-hitting, competitive sport in which Canada is held in high esteem around the world for winning a combined six gold, one silver, and one bronze medal in the last six Paralympic Games.