
Sudbury native Syla Swords and the remainder of the Canadian national women's basketball team will enjoy a Canada Day hiatus at the FIBA Women's America Cup - 2025 in Chile, sitting with a record of 2-1 and set to close out Pool A play Wednesday versus the Dominican Republic (1-1).
Canada opened the tournament with a pair of convincing wins, defeating both El Salvador (100-34) and Argentina (71-48) as Swords netted eight and 11 points in those respective encounters.
The ice-breaker against El Salvador allowed the Canadian coaching staff the freedom to integrate their entire 12 player roster, with no individual finishing with less than four points in a game in which Tara Wallack (11), Sami Hill (10) and Kayla Alexander (10) all showed the way offensively.
Despite a tighter contest with Argentina, Swords would still earn 21:25 minutes of court time as Shayeann Day-Wilson topped the scoring parade with 18 points, with Swords and Kayla Alexander next at 11.
The Canadians tasted defeat for the first time on Monday, completely stifled by Brazil in the fourth quarter of a 74-65 setback. Team Canada entered the final frame holding on to a precarious 60-59 lead only to see the undefeated Brazilians pull away down the stretch.
The quartet of Day-Wilson (14), Shay Colley (10), Sami Hill (10) and Kayla Alexander (10) all exceeded 28 minutes of playing time, with Swords chipping in with a three-point basket in her 15-minute appearance.
Following their final preliminary game, Canada will advance to the quarter-finals on Friday, with the Pool B trio of Colombia, Mexico and Puerto Rico all possible opponents from a grouping that sees the United States (3-0) showing the way.
In other family news, Savannah Swords confirmed her commitment to the Kentucky Wildcats a little over a week ago as the NCAA blue-blood program beat out the remaining final five options of: South Carolina, Notre Dame, UCLA and Michigan (where Syla enters her sophomore year in the fall).
A 17 year-old 6'1" wing forward, Savannah was the 9th ranked prospect out of the Class of 2026, with one year remaining with the Lu-Hi Crusaders in New Jersey. She represented Canada at the U17 FIBA World Cup last summer, averaging 16.3 points per game.