Plouffe Leads Canada To Preliminary Round Victory Over Chile

Canada's Michelle Plouffe apparently got her coach's message.

Plouffe, a 6-3 forward from Edmonton, Alberta, had a game-high 27 points and 11 rebounds, leading Canada (2-0) to a 66-33 victory over Chile (1-1) in a Group A preliminary round game June 24 in the FIBA Americas U18 Championship for Women at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo.

When Canada's Micaella Riche, a 6-2 forward, suffered an ankle injury in the Canadians' opening victory over Mexico June 23, Canada coach Rich Chambers met with Plouffe to discuss her role with Riche out.

"I just met with her last night and told her that she had to step up into a leadership role," Chambers said. "The girls played well. They played tough. I was very worried about this game, because Chile's pressure " you really don't know what to expect."

Cynthia Bascunan Luis led Chile with nine points, and Javiera Morales Leyton had eight.

Cassandra Brown added 14 points for Canada, while Omowumi Agunbiade had 11 rebounds.

With the win, Canada secured one of the top two spots in Group A and will advance to the medal semifinals on Sat., June 26, which is when Chambers said he hopes to have Riche back in the lineup. Another Canadian, guard Kellie Ring, broke her wrist against Mexico and went home to have surgery.

Canada plays its final preliminary round game against Costa Rica at 11 a.m. (all times MDT), Fri., June 25. Chile finishes its preliminary round play against Mexico on Friday at 1:15 p.m.