Canada’s men’s wheelchair basketball team lost 68-56 to Germany in the classification round, leaving them with an eighth-place finish in Tokyo.
Bo Hedges led the Canadians in scoring with 16 points and Colin Higgins netted 12 points.
Canada’s usual scoring options were quiet on the night, with Patrick Anderson finishing with six points and Nik Goncin finishing two points shy of a triple double (8 pts, 14 reb, 11 ast).
While the Red and White have looked for other scoring options all tournament, it was too little too late as the stars combined to shoot 6/20.
On the other side, the Germans bolstered a roster filled with multiple scoring options. In the match, Germany finished with four scorers in double digits. Aliaksandr Halouski, Thomas Boehme, Andre Bienek and Nico Dreimueller netted 65 of the team’s 68 points — 20, 18, 17, and 10 respectively.
After falling in the quarter-final to Great Britain, the Canadians looked to their bench more than they had all tournament. Every member of the roster played at least seven minutes. As a result, Canada finished the game with eight different line combinations on the floor.
For the Canadians, this concludes their role in the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. It also may be the end of a chapter, as it could be the last time Team Canada is led by Patrick Anderson. The star steered his country to four straight medals since joining the national team.
Anderson is considered the greatest wheelchair basketball player of all time and playing without him would be a tough transition for the Canadians, but it’s one they are capable of pushing past.
With Nik Goncin proving to be one of the best scorers in the world, the Red and White will be able to lean on his presence as they move past the Anderson era.