Paige Crozon leads Canadian 3x3 basketball team to win in Olympic qualifying tourney opener

Canada's women's 3x3 basketball team got off to a strong start at an Olympic qualifying tournament on Friday in Utsunomiya, Japan.

The team of Katherine and Michelle Plouffe, of Lethbridge, Alta., Paige Crozon, of Humboldt, Sask., and Edmonton's Kacie Bosch scored a 19-12 win over Kenya to begin pool play.

Crozon led the Canadian attack with 10 points, while the Plouffe sisters each had six rebounds.

The Canadians next matches come against the Netherlands (2:55 a.m. ET) and Australia (5:55 a.m. ET) on Saturday, which streams live on CBCSports.ca and CBC Gem.

WATCH | Full match replay, Canada vs. Kenya:

Only the winner of the eight-team competition books its spot at Paris 2024.

If the Canadians don't punch their ticket in Japan, they'll have one last shot at a qualifier from May 16-19 in Debrecen, Hungary, in which three of 16 teams will receive the final places in Paris.

The Canadians came into Utsunomiya on a roll – the two-time defending Women's Series champions won the first stop of the 2024 campaign last week in Springfield, Mass.

WATCH | Canada Basketball president says 3x3 team can be part of Olympic moment: