Bosnia and Herzegovina, Russia secure Division A status; MKD and Czech Republic to play for bronze

SARAJEVO (FIBA U16 European Championship 2018, Division B) – It is turning out to be an excellent tournament for Bosnia and Herzegovina on home soil in Sarajevo, with the hosts extending their unbeaten run at the FIBA U16 European Championship 2018, Division B into the Final with a victory against the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (MKD) on Friday.

Having conquered the Semi-Final barrier, the Admir Prasovic-coached side also secured promotion to Division A, while Russia join them, by clinching a ticket after defeating Czech Republic on the other side of the bracket.

Bosnia and Herzegovina ran away to a 95-76 victory against MKD after outscoring their Balkan counterparts 45-26 in the second half of the game after still being level during intermission. 
Bosnia and Herzegovina are one win away from completing a clean sweep in Sarajevo

Alem Huseinovic did most of the damage, scoring a game-high 26 points, while Denis Halilcevic and Valentin Vidovic collected 19 and 15 points respectively. Goce Petrushevski was the highest-scoring Macedonian player with 18 points and 8 rebounds next to his name on the score sheet.

In the other Semi-Final, Russia inscribed a 78-65 win over the Czechs, having got the break they were looking for earlier in the contest. Aleksandr Maltsev had a game-high 22 points and 7 rebounds for the victors, while Anton Kardanakhishvili chipped in with 21 points and 6 assists.

Having both registered their seventh consecutive wins in the tournament, Russia and Bosnia and Herzegovina will face of for the Division B crown on Saturday. The two losing teams will also get a do-over in the Third-Place Game, where the fate of the only remaining promotion ticket will be decided.
Russia are also undefeated in the FIBA U16 European Championship, Division B

In the Classification Games 5-8, Poland bounced back after a surprising Quarter-Final exit with an 83-71 victory over Great Britain, while Iceland got the better of Romania in a 73-59 game. Ukraine and Belgium boosted their mood in the Classification Games 9-12 by topping Denmark and Bulgaria, respectively. Oleksandr Kovliar led Ukraine to a 76-67 win over the Danes with a 27-point, 7-steal performance, while Thijs De Ridder starred for Belgium with 26 points and 15 rebounds in an 85-67 win over Bulgaria.

Finland registered a 78-63 win over Ireland in the Classification Games 13-16, as Portugal beat Belarus 71-61. Further down in the standings, Hungary bested Sweden 92-83, while Switzerland defeated Slovakia 90-73. Meanwhile, Norway found a way past Kosovo with an 84-72 win in the Classification Games 21-24 and Cyprus rounded out the action with a 77-54 victory over Cyprus.

FIBA