Team Canada men’s wheelchair basketball finishes sixth at IWBF World Championships

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — Team Canada men’s wheelchair basketball team finished in sixth place at the International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF) World Championships in Dubai.

Their sixth-place finish comes after a 67-56 loss to Italy on Monday.

The men’s team finished eighth at the Tokyo Paralympics and 12th and the 2018 IWBF World Championships. 

Wonowon’s Bo Hedges, who is captain of the men’s team, says finishing sixth is an improvement.

“We’re hoping for a win today (Monday) to finish within the top five, but being in the top six is an improvement from Tokyo and obviously an improvement from World’s in 2018,” said Hedges. 

“It’s slow and steady, but it’s an upward trend and we’re happy with that.”

The men‘s team fell behind 23-14 in the first quarter and trailed 37-27 at halftime. A 6-0 run cut Italy’s lead to eight with 3:33 remaining in the fourth, but they were unable to catch up for the win.

“We were hoping the improvement would happen a little faster, but the competition is so good,” Hedges said.

 “We are showing improvements. We have more depth; we have more guys playing than we did a couple of years ago. It’s getting better, and it’s fun to be a part of.”

On Saturday, Hedges contributed eight points to Team Canada’s 62-57 win over Australia.

Game statistics from the world championships can be found on the IWBF’s website.