England Under-16 Men lose out to Ireland in 2023 Four Nations Tournament

Image credit: Basketball Ireland

England Under-16s came agonisingly short of defending their Four Nations Tournament title as Ireland sealed a thrilling win on home soil in Dublin, on Thursday.

The decisive unbeaten battle on the final day went right down to the wire as the hosts edged out England for a dramatic 89-85 triumph in overtime.

England had made a strong start to the event on Wednesday with a crushing 95-42 success over Scotland having raced out of the blocks and never looked back. Kervy Mabaya-Muteba top scored with 16 points with Maxwell Revell one of three other players in double figures with 14 points.

Alexis Lewis’s side then returned to action on Day 2 to record their second win by beating Wales 80-43 behind an emphatic third quarter effort. England outscored their opponents 30-7 after the break and were led by Ethan Round’s game-high 19 points.

Ireland had also overcome Wales and Scotland to set up a showdown for the title in the final game of the tournament.

It was a close encounter throughout with England edging into a four-point lead with 1:35 remaining, but were unable to close out the game as the hosts forced an extra period at 76-76. An 11-2 run from Ireland proved pivotal as they did enough to pull away to take the win in overtime.

Full results: Scotland 42-95 England, Ireland 71-62 Wales, England 80-43 Wales, Ireland 99-39 Scotland, Wales 91-87 Scotland (OT), Ireland 89-85 England (OT)

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