ALTHOUGH it may not have been the result they were after, the Australian Sapphires did well to secure fifth spot at the FIBA Women’s Under-17 Basketball World Cup on Sunday after defeating Japan in the qualification match.

The Aussies’ World Cup dream was ended when the team lost to Spain in the quarter finals on Saturday morning in a tough matchup, with the United States defeating Canada in the final, while the Spanish side defeated France to claim the final podium spot.

Although the Sapphires were not able to advance past the quarter finals, they still bounced back strongly after the loss, and did not lose another match to still finish in a strong position overall.

Following a win over Finland the following day, Australia set up a matchup with Japan for the highest possible finish at the tournament. In a stacked landscape, it was still an admirable result for the Sapphires given the strength of the competition, and the future is still bright for the team.

The game took place at Domo de la Feria earlier today, and it was the Aussies that got out to the best start. In the first term, the Sapphires were looking to push the tempo and play with pace, helping themselves to a 13-5 lead. However, Japan fought back strongly to make it a two-point game at the first change, and suddenly, it was game on.

The second period was extremely tight, with the margin never extending past two points and the lead changing hands several times. Despite the slow start to the match, the Japanese were taking it right up to their opponents with the margin unchanged at half-time.

The third quarter saw the Sapphires truly begin to gain ascendancy in the match, leading by as much as 10 points a few minutes after the main break. However, keeping in theme with the remainder of the match, Japan overcame some physical defence from the Aussies to stay within four points heading into the final term.

The game ended up going down to the wire, with Australia’s lead sitting at just two points with just two and a half minutes on the clock. It was anyone’s game, but both sides went cold from the field before Madi Ryan knocked down a clutch triple to give the Sapphires some breathing space. In the end, Australia held on for a 67-64 win to claim fifth spot.

Ryan was the star of the show, posting a whopping 25 points on an impressive 11/16 shooting from the field. Whenever the Sapphires needed a basket, they looked to her, and she produced scores from all three levels to keep her side in front on the scoreboard for most of the match.