Losing their bronze-medal game left Katherine Plouffe and her teammates awash in emotion Monday night.

Canada91裸聊视频檚 3x3 basketball team had come tantalizingly close to taking home a medal from the Paris Olympics, but ultimately saw their hopes dashed when they dropped a 16-13 decision to the United States.

91裸聊视频淟ots of emotions,91裸聊视频� Plouffe said. 91裸聊视频淚t really sucks. Yeah, it really sucks. But very thankful, super grateful for this experience, to have made it here with all the support from our family and friends and the country and people who91裸聊视频檝e been with us along our journey from 2019 until now91裸聊视频�

After years with the Canadian women91裸聊视频檚 basketball squad, Plouffe and her twin sister, Michelle Plouffe, decided five years ago to create a 3x3 program.

They funded their own training and travels, recruited their own teammates and found places to play.

91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 been worth it,91裸聊视频� Katherine Plouffe said after Monday91裸聊视频檚 loss. 91裸聊视频淚 would rather have my neck a little bit heavier right now, but the journey is worth it. And there91裸聊视频檚 so many serendipities along the way that I would never trade. So I91裸聊视频檓 still positive on what we did, definitely.91裸聊视频�

Paris marks Canada91裸聊视频檚 first Olympic appearance in 3x3 basketball. The discipline made its debut at the Tokyo Games.

Getting to Paris has been a special journey, Michelle Plouffe said.

91裸聊视频淥bviously a medal would have been a cherry on top, but I91裸聊视频檓 just so thankful for the relationship we have with each other and the support we91裸聊视频檝e had from our families and our friends and everyone back home who91裸聊视频檚 just seen us start from the bottom 91裸聊视频� really from below the bottom, from nothing 91裸聊视频� to be at an Olympic Games,91裸聊视频� she said. 91裸聊视频淎nd that91裸聊视频檚 pretty special.91裸聊视频�

The Plouffe sisters started the 3x3 program in a bid to create more opportunities for women and girls to play basketball, and Michelle hopes their Olympic run has done just that.

91裸聊视频淚t was always about leaving something, leaving a legacy behind. And I think we91裸聊视频檝e made a big leap forward in doing that,91裸聊视频� she said. 91裸聊视频淪o it91裸聊视频檚 been a huge journey, and I91裸聊视频檓 just so grateful.91裸聊视频�

Katherine Plouffe led Canada with five points in the bronze final, while Michelle Plouffe and Kacie Bosch each contributed three.

The Americans, who won gold when 3x3 basketball made its debut in Tokyo, got a game-high six points from Hailey van Lith.

Michelle Plouffe opened the scoring with a two-pointer and Bosch added another deep shot to give Canada a 7-3 lead less than three minutes into the game.

The Americans rallied, but Canada still held an 8-6 lead at the midway mark.

Dearica Hamby gave the U.S. a 14-13 lead on a free throw with 1:17 left to play and the Canadians couldn91裸聊视频檛 recover.

Still reeling from the loss, Canada91裸聊视频檚 Paige Crozon went over to the stands to see her five-year-old daughter, Poppy.

91裸聊视频淚 went up to her after the game and gave her a sad look, and then she gave me a cheeky little smile. And it just provided some perspective,91裸聊视频� she said. 91裸聊视频淚t helped me to zoom out and have perspective of what91裸聊视频檚 really important.91裸聊视频�

The loss to the Americans marked Canada91裸聊视频檚 10th game in seven days. Games were played at an outdoor, temporary venue on Paris91裸聊视频� Palace de la Concorde, and temperatures often reached the high 20s.

91裸聊视频淲e91裸聊视频檝e said that from the beginning, that this is a beast of a tournament,91裸聊视频� Katherine Plouffe said. 91裸聊视频淎nd yeah, fatigue was there. Yeah, other things played a role, and we could have done some things better, but, you know, it91裸聊视频檚 in the past now. The Olympics are done.91裸聊视频�

Earlier on Monday, Canada dropped a 16-15 decision to Germany in a spirited semifinal that saw the winning basket scored with a single second left on the clock.

Germany went on to beat Spain 17-16 in the gold-medal game Monday night.

91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 so bittersweet because we were expecting the medal for ourselves. So to leave empty-handed, as far as medals is concerned is very tough,91裸聊视频� Bosch said.

91裸聊视频�(But) to place fourth in our first-ever Olympic appearance is something to definitely be proud of. Are we satisfied? No. I don91裸聊视频檛 know anybody in the world of sports who would be satisfied with a fourth-place finish. But we91裸聊视频檙e gonna learn from it. We91裸聊视频檙e gonna grow from it and move on.91裸聊视频�

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Gemma Karstens-Smith, The Canadian Press