Andorra upset Austria for chance at gold; Wales prevail against San Marino

SERRAVALLE (FIBA U16 European Championship 2018, Division C) – Andorra and Wales are just one step away from winning the FIBA U16 European Championship 2018, Division C trophy after clearing the Semi-Finals on Tuesday in Serravalle.

The teams booked a Group B rematch in the Final after the second-placed Andorra registered an 86-81 upset against the previously undefeated Group A winners Austria.

Andorra found themselves down 69-59 early in the final frame, but turned the tide around with a 19-5 run, orchestrated by scoring ace Sergi Serrato Balletbo, who set a new tournament-high with 34 points in the contest.

Sergi Serrato Balletbo was impressive again for Andorra

Marti Obiols Puig and Miguel Marti Chamorro chipped in with 16 points apiece, while Stefan Blazevic had 23 points, 11 rebounds and 7 assists for Austria.

In the other Semi-Final, the first-seeded Group A team, Wales, had to put in a considerable amount of work to avoid an upset of their own against tournament hosts San Marino, who led by as many as 13 points in the first half.

Having been on the wrong side of the scoreline for most of the night, the Luke Gordos-led Wales prevailed 66-56 after taking command of the contest in the third quarter. The 15-year-old guard was the top scorer of the game for Wales; Francesco Palmieri matched his output for San Marino.
Wales turned the game on its head in the third stanza

Andorra and Wales met in the Group Phase of the tournament, with the Welsh side coming out on top 56-50 in a close one.

The day of upsets spilled over into the Classification Games, where both of the victorious teams also overcame higher-seeded opposition. Having not qualified for the Medal Round, Scotland and Azerbaijan began the battle for positions lower down in the final standings with wins against Albania and Malta.

Scotland lead man Louis Sullivan headlined the action with a 33-point and 12-rebound double-double in a 75-48 victory against Albania, while Azerbaijan defeated Malta with a similarly one-sided 74-45 scoreline behind Jebrayil Akbarkov's heroics of 22 points, 17 rebounds and 7 blocks.

On the final day of the tournament, Azerbaijan and Scotland will play it out for 5th place; Albania and Malta will have to settle for the Classification Game for 7th place.

FIBA