Clark on fire in Poland, as Great Britain claim Legionowo tournament laurels

LEGIONOWO (FIBA EuroBasket 2017) - Great Britain will be headed to the FIBA EuroBasket 2017 in Istanbul in high spirits after winning two of their last three preparation games and finishing first in a four-team tournament in Poland.

The Joe Prunty-coached British team inscribed a convincing 85-64 victory over Israel, with the 21-point victory margin giving them a winning hand in the three-way tie at the top of the standings.

Dan Clark set a new personal high for his country with 25 points, including an excellent 6-of-7 shooting display from beyond the three-point arc, while Luke Nelson and Gabe Olaseni chipped in with 9 points apiece.

For Israel, Richard Howell had a team-high 17 points and 6 rebounds, with Guy Pnini and Omri Casspi helping out with 14 and 12 points respectively.

Great Britain, who needed to win the game by at least 18 to secure the top spot, had previously picked up an 82-64 victory against Hungary and an 86-76 defeat against Poland.

The tournament in Legionowo did come at a price for Team GB, as they lost Carl Wheatle to an injury in the game against the Hungarian side on Thursday. It has now been confirmed that the 20-year-old forward will not be able to help the team in Istanbul.

Meanwhile, Poland wrapped up second place with a 74-64 victory over the winless Hungary behind a 21-point and 13-rebound double-double by Przemyslaw Karnowski, who did all the damage in just 24 minutes of play.

Adam Waczynski chipped in with 13 points for the winners, while Csaba Ferencz collected 16 points and Akos Keller scored 15 and grabbed 7 boards for Hungary.

The four teams that participated in the tournament will head their own separate ways for EuroBasket, with Poland heading to Group A in Helsinki, Israel hosting Group B in Tel Aviv, Hungary joining Group C in Cluj-Napoca and Great Britain flying to the Istanbul-based Group D.

FIBA