The Canadian Junior National team clinched top spot in group B of the 2012 FIBA Americas Championships with a 75-68 tough victory over Argentina.
Andrew Wiggins poured in a team high 19 points and grabbed five rebounds. Trey Lyles continued his dominance by notching his third straight double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds.
Tyler Ennis finished with 14 points and five assists in the winning cause, while back court teammate Xavier Rathan Mayes also chipped in with 12 points, including a key three-pointer, to give Canada a 72-63 margin of comfort as Argentina made a late push with 2:31 remaining.
Argentina was led by shooting guard Martin Massone with 19 points on 3-of-6 three-pointers.
Canada opened up the game strong and took leads of 19-15 after one quarter and 34-29 at half-time.
Argentina stayed close and threatened to take the lead on several occasions in the second half, but was unable to contain Canada’s athleticism and ability to breakdown defenders from the wing.
With the victory, Team Canada advances to the semi-finals of the 2012 FIBA Americas and will play the second-place finisher in group A.
Brazil and the United States of America both sit a 2-0 and will play each other to determine the semi-final seedings.
Barring any upsets, Canada is on a collision course to meet the USA in the Finals in what will be a highly anticipated match-up between the two countries youngest and brightest stars.
