England U18s Hold Off Iceland for Third Straight Win

Image credit: FIBA

England Under-18’s made it three straight wins at the European Championships in Skopje, Macedonia, after defeating Iceland 70-64 in the 9th-16th Classification Round, on Friday evening.

Steve Bucknall’s side won their final two Group D games against Scotland and Albania and their third victory boosts their chances of finishing in ninth.

Carl Wheatle led from the front by amassing an impressive 25 rebounds whilst adding 11 points and five assists in the win. Zion Tordoff top scored with 15 points and RJ Eytle-Rock also reached double figures with 10.

It was a strong start from England as they opened up a 19-8 advantage at the end of the first quarter after scoring nine unanswered points midway through the period.

3-pointers from Josh Edwards and Brian Amabilino helped the lead continue to grow, and despite a brief spell of resilience from their opponents, England went into half-time with a commanding 35-22 lead.

Henri Langton made it a 15-point game with the opening score in the third, but an 11-1 response saw Iceland close the gap. Wheatle restored the double-digit lead before another burst from Iceland reduced their deficit to just two points at 50-48.

Iceland then took the lead at 54-52 three minutes into the fourth, but England were able to keep their composure down the stretch as an 8-0 run was later followed by nine straight points to secure the win.

Box score.

England U18s take on Belarus in the 9th-12th Classification Round tomorrow (Saturday) at 8pm UK time.

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