situation for somebody at any age, but particullarly a young individ

XALAPA, Mexico -- Canadas womens basketball team took another step closer in its quest for a world championship berth. Kendel Ross scored 16 points to lead the undefeated Canadians to an 89-45 rout of Venezuela at the FIBA Americas Championship on Tuesday, assuring themselves a spot in the semifinals. But after three lopsided victories, Canada knows it faces a much tougher test Wednesday in Cuba for top spot in Group A. "They play hard when they need to and when they have a lead, they kind of coast," Canadas coach Lisa Thomaidis said of Cuba. "So we need to have some realistic impression of what theyre going to bring and overestimate what weve seen from them so far." Kim Gaucher, Kia Nurse, and Natalie Achonwa added 12 points apiece for Canada, while Tamara Tatham grabbed a game-high eight rebounds. The world No. 9-ranked Canadians opened the tournament with a 75-37 win over Jamaica, then cruised past Chile 93-51. The 14th-ranked Cubans have won by similarly lopsided scores, while Brazil and Puerto Rico have dominated the other side of the draw. The Canadians shot 47 per cent from the field against Venezuela, outrebounding their opponent 52-25, and outscoring them 16-4 on second-chance points. Still, Thomaidis wasnt pleased with her teams performance. "We just werent very sharp, our offensive precision was not there. We didnt think we brought a lot of defensive energy," Thomaidis said. "Its one of those tough games, the result should be a foregone conclusion. However you still want to maintain that level of intensity and energy heading into our most important game, which is (Wednesday)." The lopsided games have allowed Thomaidis to rotate her roster, giving key players such as Gaucher and guard Shona Thorburn some rest. The team had talked before the tournament began about the importance of maintaining their focus when theyre not playing. "When were on the bench, you have to be engaged, whether youre bringing energy by talking to your teammates or just cheering your teammates on," Ross said. "Thats really what you have to do, you have to stay in the game, you cant just be on the bench kind of looking around wondering whats going on in Mexico. You really have to keep yourself focused and be ready for your number to be called." Canada is gunning for its third straight world championship appearance, and needs to finish top three in Mexico to earn a spot in the 2014 world tournament in Istanbul. The semifinals are Friday, with the medal games scheduled for Saturday. Derek Sanderson Jersey . Jackson Houck added a goal and two assists for the Giants (28-23-10), who halted a five-game slide, while Tyler Morrison, Mason Geertsen and Dominik Volek each scored once. Matt Bellerive scored both goals for the Blazers (12-43-5), who are 1-9-0 in their last 10 outings. Johnny Bucyk Jersey .Y. - Everyone expected Clayton Kershaw to pitch a shutout, and he did — a unanimous choice for the NL Cy Young Award. http://www.bruinsstore.com/authentic-milan-lucic-bruins-jersey/ . Chris Heisey connected for his first grand slam and Devin Mesoraco homered and drove in a career high-tying four runs as Cincinnati took advantage of Tampa Bays depleted pitching staff for a 12-4 victory on Sunday. Bobby Orr Jersey .com) - Will Conant booted a 39-yard field goal as time expired and Air Force played spoiler with a 27-24 win over 21st- ranked Colorado State on Friday. Phil Esposito Jersey . Lack made 20 saves for his third shutout of the season as the Canucks blanked the St. Louis Blues 1-0 in the first post-Olympic game for both teams night. VIERA, Fla. -- Jose Iglesias will be out four to six months because of stress fractures in both legs. The Detroit Tigers shortstop was examined by Dr. Thomas Clanton, a foot and ankle specialist on Tuesday, and is scheduled to be reevaluated in four months. Speaking before the Tigers played the Washington Nationals in Viera on Thursday, general manager Dave Dombrowski indicated the team is preparing to play the season without Iglesias. "(He could) perhaps be back later in the year, but in my thought process thats more unlikely than likely at this point," Dombrowski said, adding he has been assured Iglesias will be ready to play next season. Iglesias will be relegated to non-weight bearing exercises and upper-body conditioning for four to six months. He is also undergoing more tests to help determine why the stress fractures did not heal during the off-season. Dombrowski said Iglesias played with the condition last year while he was with Boston and has X-rays, MRIs and even bone scans. They all showed he was having a stress reaction. "This is a very rare situation for somebody at any age, but particullarly a young individual," Dombrowski said.dddddddddddd The smooth-fielding Iglesias hit .303 for Boston and Detroit last season. The Tigers acquired him last July from the Red Sox in a three-team trade shortly before shortstop Jhonny Peralta was suspended. Detroit didnt re-sign Peralta and he signed with St. Louis as a free agent. "It certainly hurts," Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said of the loss of Iglesias. "We were hoping that Jose would be able to flash his glove for 150 games or so, but plans have changed. The important thing is for him to take care of his stress fracture issue and get back as soon as he can. Well try to fill the gap in the meantime." Detroit could try to sign free agent Stephen Drew to replace the 24-year-old Iglesias if the championship-contending franchise isnt comfortable starting someone such as Danny Worth at the important position. Other candidates are prospects Eugenio Suarez ad Hernan Perez. "Right now, were looking at internal candidates," Dombrowski said. "Right now, thats the way were leaning on going." ' ' '