U18 European Championships final four locked
The semi-finals of the U18 European Championships have been set after a day of quality hoops in Slovakia. The quarterfinals provided plenty of thrills and spills as the best young players in Europe duked it out for the final four. Lying ahead is a weekend of elite action where the champion will be decided on Sunday.
We know that reigning champs France will not defend its crown in the final as the team crashed out to Spain. Joining Spain in the final four is Serbia (hunting a record ninth title), Turkey, and Lithuania.
Turkey looked comfortable as it wrestled Greece for a berth in the U18 European Championships semi-finals. A 24-18 first quarter gave the team the momentum and they carried it throughout. Greece was never out of contention, but bled points for an 81-63 defeat. Erkin Senel paced the win with 17 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists.
France will not be lifting back-to-back titles after losing the most hotly anticipated of the last eight contests. Meeting Spain, Les Bleus lost in the dramatic fashion, with the final score reading 86-85. The defending champs trailed 16-15 through 10 minutes, but used a massive 30 points haul in Q2 to lead 34-45 through the long break. Spain spent the second half clawing it back to tie the game 75-75 through regulation. In the overtime period, Spain carried the momentum and snatched the game in the closing seconds.
Italy struggled to match a consistent Lithuania. A 60-72 victory allowed Lithuania to progress and the team did it on a performance of solid defence and offence. A 14-23 first act and a 16-19 second gave the Lithuanians a solid 30-42 advantage at halftime. Italy huffed and puffed, but never got back into the game in the second half. Arnas Velicka had a game to remember as he took a triple double of 12 points, 13 boards, and 11 scoring passes.
Serbia remains on course for 4 titles (a record nine if we count 5 titles as Yugoslavia) and a first since 2009. The team moved past Bosnia in a performance built on an excellent second quarter. Serbia opened a 19-15 lead in the first frame and then stopped Bosnia at 9 points in the second act for a 37-32 lead. With the advantage, the former champs could dictate the pace in the second half and cruise to victory.