The Senior Men’s National Team secured the top seed in Group A with a 56-49 win over Argentina on Monday night at the Parapan American Games in Santiago.

Patrick Anderson (Fergus, Ont.) paced Canada with a game-high 19 points, 15 rebounds and four assists. Colin Higgins (Rothesay, N.B.) added 15 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, while Vincent Dallaire (Quebec City, Que.) chipped in six points.

“It’s nice to finish the group play with a win,” said Bo Hedges (Wonowon, B.C.) “We’re going into this next game with a little bit of extra confidence. It was a battle out there. Argentina played us really hard, and it was a real scrappy game.”

Team Canada’s quarterfinal opponent will be determined at the conclusion of group play on Tuesday. Men’s quarterfinals action at the Parapan American Games begins Wednesday afternoon in Santiago.

“That was a big one for us,” Anderson said. “We knew the road would be even tougher for us if we finished second or worse in our pool, so that was a really important win.”

Argentina opened the fourth on a 9-3 run to close Canada’s lead to 43-42 4:23 into the final period, but Canada responded with a 7-2 run to seal the victory.

Canada used a 5-0 surge midway through the third to take a six point lead, and out-scored Argentina 18-11 in the third to carry a 40-33 lead into the fourth.

“Our defence is ultimately what gives us confidence,” Anderson said. “They had some mini runs, but we were able to stop them and finally hit a couple of baskets. That’s why you work real hard on the part you can control, which is generally your defensive execution and effort.”

Canada and Argentina were tied at 22-22 at halftime.

Anderson paced Canada with nine first half points. Higgins added five, while Dallaire and Reed De’Aeth (Sherwood Park, Alta.) each added four points.

The two teams met twice at the 2022 Americas Cup. Canada edged Argentina 60-57, and Argentina won the rematch 66-53.

“They’re a great team,” said Hedges. “They’ve got a lot of good young players and veteran players coming along. They’ve been playing us tough since 2013. It’s been a battle for sure.

Full stats from Monday’s game can be found here.

Santiago 2023 is a qualifier for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games – one spot is available in each of the men’s and women’s competitions, with the gold medallists on each side qualifying for next summer’s Games. At the 2019 Parapan American Games, the SWNT captured gold, while the SMNT won silver.