Canada's 3x3 basketball women will remember hard-fought journey more than Olympic medal miss

Kacie Bosch committed blood, sweat and tears to the Canadian women's 3x3 basketball team at the Paris Olympics.

Bosch was wounded in the play-in game against Australia, leaking blood and requiring on-court treatment before finishing out the tournament with a bandage above her right eye.

The tournament itself "was definitely the biggest toll on our bodies I've ever experienced," said teammate Michelle Plouffe.

The team played 10 games in six days.

And when it was all said and done, Canada — medal hopefuls, if not favourites — finished fourth.

Speaking with CBC Sports' Kelly Vanderbeek after the bronze-medal game, Bosch fought back tears.

"In five years, the medal won't mean nearly as much to me as these women," the Lethbridge, Alta., native said.

WATCH | Canada drops bronze-medal match to U.S.:

The journey for this team just to reach the Olympics was similarly treacherous. It was self-funded for a year, eventually proving to Canada Basketball it was worthy of some support. 

Its Tokyo Olympic dreams were dashed by a rules quirk that meant only Canada's men would have the opportunity to qualify. They failed in that mission.

In 2022, it won silver at the World Cup — without a head coach. 

Their dominance was astounding — which makes the Paris result all the more heartbreaking.

"Obviously there was a lot of disappointment and frustration with losing those last couple games, but we just had an outpouring of support and love from everyone who supported us," Michelle said. "It's been a lot in the last couple days, but we're still very grateful for the journey."

The tournament itself played out much differently than the usual 3x3 fare. Pool play was more than double the length, from the typical three games to seven. Moreover,