FORMOSA, Argentina — Canada is heading back to the final at the FIBA Americas under-16 championship.
Cashius McNeilly had 23 points and nine rebounds as the Canadians downed Puerto Rico 81-66 on Saturday in the tournament semfinals.
Shemar Rathan-Mayes added 14 points for Canada while Andre Curbelo scored a game-high 27 points for Puerto Rico.
"We got out and transitioned pretty well. It was a tough matchup, but we filled their lanes as best we could and played great defence," said Benjamin Krikke, who chipped in with nine points for Canada.
The Canadian squad finished with silver at the last FIBA Americas U16 championship in 2015, losing to the United States in the final.
Canada held a five-point lead after the first quarter and took a 46-29 advantage into halftime on Saturday.
Puerto Rico was able to hang around on the scoreboard in large part to Canada's 22 turnovers, compared to just six for the Puerto Rican squad. The Canadians were outscored 23-8 off turnovers.
"We had a few too many turnovers tonight but we accomplished our goal. We now focus on preparing for the gold medal game so that we can come out strong tomorrow night," said Canadian coach Craig Beaucamp.
Canada finished round-robin play at the eight-nation tournament first in Pool A with a 3-0 record, with victories coming against Venezuela, Paraguay and Argentina. The United States topped Pool B through preliminary play.
The Americans played Argentina later Saturday in the other semifinal. The championship game goes Sunday.
The Canadian Press
