CHLOE Bibby and the Australian under-17 women’s basketball team ended their world championship campaign on a high note, smashing Canada to finish fifth overall.
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Australia was switched on from the start in the fifth-sixth playoff at the International Basketball Association Under-17 World Championship for Women on Sunday night, outscoring the Canadians 14-5 in the first quarter.
The Sapphires won every quarter on their way to a dominant 69-39 victory.
Bibby, of Warracknabeal, finished with six points, three rebounds and an assist in the win.
It was Australia’s biggest victory of the tournament and meant it finished with only one loss from seven games.
The Sapphires were undefeated in their group matches against Japan, Slovak Republic and Mexico, and defeated Mali in the round of 16 teams before being knocked out by host nation Czech Republic in the quarter-finals.
Australia rebounded well from the loss to dominate its final two classification matches against France and Canada.
Bibby had an outstanding tournament, averaging 7.1 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.1 assists a game.
She finished as the third-highest scorer and fourth-highest rebounder on the team.
As a bottom-age player, Bibby will be eligible to play for the national under-17 team again next year.