TORONTO (IWBF) - The 2015 Americas Wheelchair Basketball Challenge took place last week (22-26 March) and the final day of the competition featured the only match-ups of North and South American rivals.

The USA enhanced their position as the team to beat in the region with a solid 67-54 win over Canada to finish 5-0 while the tournaments hosts compiled a 3-2 mark.

Brazil beat Argentina 71-53 to finish 2-3 in the first warm-up tournament of the spring leading up to the Parapan American Games which Canada will stage in Toronto from August 7-15, 2015. The loss saw the Argentinians finish winless (0-5).

The only surprise of the tournament was Brazil's decisive 61-33 upset of Canada on Day 3. The Canadians had previously won by 12 in the opener for both teams thanks to consistent shooting and balanced scoring. That deserted them in the rematch.

It is not an upset of epic stature as, for example, Canada beating Brazil in soccer would be, but an upset nonetheless. After all, Canada had been the best team in the world for the past 15 years with three of the last four Paralympic gold medals (2000, 2004, 2012) and one World Championship (2006).

But this is a different Canada, a team in rebuilding mode after missing last year's World Championships and working towards getting its swagger back by the time Rio 2016 begins. 

Leading by eight after one quarter but only by three at the half, Brazil's defense was ironclad after the break, holding Canada to just 11 points, and outscoring them 19-2 in the final quarter. Brazil also dominated the rebounds 44-31.

Luciano Silva, Brazil's main offensive weapon throughout the tournament, led the green and yellow with 24 points.

Perhaps it’s the fact that they will be the host team in Rio that inspired Brazil to a decisive win. But winning now is secondary to the success they want to achieve next summer.

The Brazilian national team coach, Antonio Carlos Magalhaes, praised the strong performance of the national team.

"Our tests have been very positive, and we played today with greater focus on victory. We worked with seven players and the result turned out to be better than expected because we won the game by 28 points difference," he said.

That confidence carried over to the next day as Brazil played the USA close in an 82-76 loss, the closest margin for the Americans in five games. It was an 18-point improvement as the US had beaten Brazil on day two 81-57.

That game had been close early on but as the Americans opened the gap, Magalhaes chose to experiment with his lineup which he attributed to the final margin. Wins now are not as important as learning what will help his team succeed in the Parapan Am Games in August and eventually Rio next year.

"Of course, we are always looking for the win, because every player who is here trying to give their maximum. It's just good to take to make tactical changes and quintet tests. The success or failure during the match is normal, but is important to remember that all decisions are the result of much study, always aiming at the successful match."

Brazil had been a top 10 team in the world having finished ninth and 10th respectively at the Beijing 2008 and Athens 2004 Paralympic Games and registered comparable ninth and 10th finishes at the 2006 and 2002 IWBF World Championships. But an aspiring Colombia represented South America at London 2012 and Brazil missed out entirely on the 2014 IWBF World Championships in Korea while rivals Argentina and Colombia were there.

While a win over Canada and pushing the USA to the end were strong takeaways for Brazil, beating Argentina on the final day had to make for a better trip home. Yet, the ultimate objective is being a contender on the court next summer.

"I am very pleased with the group," said Magalhaes, who praised his team’s work ethic and focus. "This phrase of training was essential to our selection which aims at achieving medals in Paralímpiadas and Parapan."

FIBA