Great Britain Under-16s fell to their first loss at the European Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria after going down 75-52 against a strong Greece side in the semi-finals on Friday.
James Vear’s side will have another shot at promotion tomorrow as they play the bronze medal game – aiming to become the third GB men’s youth side to achieve a top-3 finish this summer.
GB Under-16s fall to a 75-52 loss against Greece in #FIBAU16Europe Div B semi-final. Okros 14p; Hughes 10p/9r.
Battle for tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/Sir6AuwSNP
— Hoopsfix (@Hoopsfix) August 18, 2017
Mate Okros top scored with a 14-point haul, while Theo Hughes had 10 points and nine rebounds with Tomiwa Sulaiman also adding 10 points.
Greece scored the opening five points of the game before Okros got GB up and running from beyond the arc. Hughes followed suit soon after to cut the gap to a single point, but a dominant 17-0 close put GB firmly on the back foot, unable to contain their opponents, down 24-6.
Sulaiman ended a nine-minute field goal drought in the early stages of the second as GB enjoyed a bright spell. A second triple from Hughes helped cut the gap to 11, but Greece produced a strong finish to take a 40-21 advantage into the half-time break.
GB stepped things up on both ends when play resumed and a three from Okros capped a 15-4 start to cut the gap into single figures at 44-36.
Greece hit back with a 7-0 run and a late three either side of a four-point play from Okros with the lead back out to double figures with GB facing a 54-40 deficit heading into the final period.
There was no way back for GB with Greece pulling clear for good early in the fourth and they completed victory with a flattering 23-point margin.
– Norton-Cuffy, Okros, Shodunke, Sulaiman & Hughes were the GB starters
– Pandza missed his second game through injury (suffered in final group game)
– Both sides were unbeaten heading into the contest
– GB now battle for bronze (& promotion) tomorrow against Netherlands/Georgia
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