MVP Abela headlines All-Star Five

VALETTA (FIBA U18 Women's European Championship 2017, Division C) - Malta's dependable power forward Sophie Abela not only helped the host country get on the FIBA U18 Women's European Championship 2017, Division C podium, but was also voted the Most Valuable Player of the tournament.

Headlining the All-Star Five, the 17-year-old player was a dominant two-way factor, averaging 10.0 points, 11.0 rebounds, 3.3 steals, 2.8 assists and 1.8 blocks per game, guiding Malta to a bronze-medal finish.

The 1999-born teenager was the most experienced player among individual award recipients, with the rest of the players at least a year younger than most of their competition in Valetta.

Having already been the focal point of the gold-winning Cypriot team, the 16-year-old Eleni Pilakouta also became a member of the exclusive All-Star Five club, alongside the Armenian duo of Anna Aslanian and Inga Manucharyan and the top-scorer of the tournament Marta Perez Castro of Gibraltar.

Aslanian led the tournament in efficiency after averaging a double-double of 18.8 points and 16.0 rebounds per game, while Perez Castro was the runaway scoring champion with a tournament-best 25.0 points per game.

Having not lost a single game at the FIBA U18 Women's European Championship 2017, Division C, it was Cyprus who topped the podium, followed by Armenia and Malta with silver and bronze, respectively.

FIBA