England U16s Suffer Last Minute Collapse vs Finland

By Sam Neter on July 25, 2013

England Under-16s suffered a tough 71-70 loss to Finland in Game 2 of the series on Thursday, falling victim to a game-winner with 12 seconds left.

Despite holding a 7 point lead with 1 minute 30 seconds remaining, Finland capitalised off a crucial turnover and missed shots from England to get back in the game. Josh Steel (pictured, above), who finished with 28 points to once against lead England, missed a three pointer at the buzzer as Finland stole the game.

“We were expecting Finland to be more physical and competitive after our big margin win yesterday,” said head coach Andreas Kapoulas after the game. “We controlled the game early and led by as many as 11 in the second half. However turnovers and defensive miscommunication hurt us in the crucial moments of the game.

“The Finland games have been very important to the last phase of our preparation. We split the games however we feel we have taken another step forward as a team. Denmark next week will be our last stop before the Europeans. They will be a very difficult test as everyone considers them as one of the favourites. It will be a great way to complete our preparation.”

Aidan Gastaldi-Davies added 10 points, and Akwasi Yeboah finished with 8.

Box score.

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