Four teams celebrated title triumphs on the final day of the FIBA U16 European Challengers with France, Poland, Hungary and Kosovo joining Serbia amongst the winner's circle.
Headlines:
- France win Skopje title with Final triumph
- Poland beat Germany to claim Sofia title, FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup spot
- Serbia finish 5-0 in Novi Sad, Slovenia in second
- Hungary victorious in Sofia 19-25 Final
- Kosovo overcome Luxembourg in Pristina Final
MVP Awards:
Novi Sad MVP: Jan Vide (SLO) - 27.0 PTS / 5.6 REB / 4.2 AST
Pristina MVP: Rron Dahsyla (KOS) - 17.4 PTS / 9.6 REB / 3.4 AST
Skopje MVP: Killian Malwaya (FRA) - 13.4 PTS / 3.8 REB / 2.0 STL
Sofia MVP: Martin Ude Kalu (GER) - 27.0 PTS / 7.5 REB / 2.3 STL
Sofia (19-25) MVP: Luka Alavidze (GEO) - 16.0 PTS / 5.0 REB / 5.6 AST
Day 5 Standout Performers:
Sofia: Szymon Nowicki (POL) - 24 PTS / 11 REB / 4 BLK
Novi Sad: Peter Bandelj (SLO) - 29 PTS / 3 AST / 3 STL
Novi Sad: Ben Avraham Saraf (ISR) - 21 PTS / 8 REB / 5 AST
Sofia (19-25): Ruben Prey (POR) - 19 PTS / 17 REB / 8 BLK
Pristina: Jordan Dowling (MLT) - 12 PTS / 15 REB / 11 STL
Pristina: Rron Dahsyla (KOS) - 30 PTS / 11 REB / 6 STL
Skopje Challenger:
Gameday 5 results: France secured the title in Skopje with a 57-51 triumph in the Final over Lithuania. The unbeaten champions started with a 15-2 first quarter before being pegged back in the second, but they restored control and were able to see out the contest. Earlier, Russia took care of third place with a convincing 94-47 victory over Romania with Vadim Shirinkin leading all scorers with 17 points.
Sofia Challenger:
Group B
10/10 games played
Gameday 5 results: Poland claimed the final spot in qualifying for next year's FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup as they defeated Germany 75-66 to win the Sofia Challenger as Szymon Nowicki finished with 24 points, 11 rebounds and 4 blocks. Meanwhile, hosts Bulgaria fell to a 72-65 defeat against Latvia, who picked up their first win of the week.
Novi Sad Challenger:
Group C
15/15 games played
Gameday 5 results: Serbia completed a perfect week with a 5-0 record as they fought past Turkey in an 82-68 victory. Slovenia bounced back from their first loss on Friday to finish on a high with a comfortable 86-50 success against Czech Republic with 29 points from Peter Bandelj. Meanwhile, Israel claimed their second win by beating Belgium 98-50 as Ben Avraham Saraf hit six triples in a 21-point haul.
Sofia Challenger (19-25):
Group Z
3/3 games played
Gameday 5 results: Hungary edged out Georgia 75-72 to take the title in Sofia with 20 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists from Balint Szoke. Meanwhile, Portugal defeated Ukraine 62-55 to take third place as Ruben Prey posted 19 points, 17 rebounds and 8 blocks with Slovakia beating Switzerland 77-66 in the 5-7 Classification Round.
Pristina Challenger:
Group F
15/15 games played
Gameday 5 results: Kosovo finished the week in style with a dominant 86-43 triumph over Luxembourg to seal the title in Pristina. Rron Dahsyla fired in 30 points in the win with Dren Kastrati adding 15 points, 10 rebounds and 9 steals. Moldova locked up third with a 67-36 win over Gibraltar, while Malta defeated Albania 62-51 behind a triple-double from Jordan Dowling with 12 points, 15 rebounds and 11 steals and 29 points from Adam Azzopardi.