Latvian U-17 basketball team dominates Ivory Coast in World Cup
Latvia's U-17 women's basketball team secured their first win in the World Cup by defeating Ivory Coast 69-44 in their second group game.
The Latvian U-17 women's basketball team earned a commanding victory over their Ivory Coast counterparts on Sunday in the Czech Republic, winning 69-44 (19:12, 14:12, 20:3, 16:17) in the second group stage match of the World Cup.
Šarlote Skrebele led Latvia with 26 points, converting half of her 12 three-point attempts and eight of nine free throws. For Ivory Coast, Žana Diomandé posted 16 points and seven rebounds, while Fatima Diufa added 13 points. Latvia excelled from beyond the arc, hitting 10 of 29 three-pointers, compared to Ivory Coast's 1 of 12.
Latvia seized control early, racing to an 11-2 lead after two three-pointers by Skrebele, one by Enija Brokāne, and a basket by Patrīcija Tikmere. Ivory Coast narrowed the gap to 14-19 in the second quarter but could not get closer. The third quarter was decisive, with Latvia outscoring their opponents 20-3. At the 28-minute mark, Melānija Lagunoviča's three-pointer made it 51-25, and early in the fourth quarter, another Lagunoviča triple extended the lead to a game-high 56-27.
In their opening game on Saturday, Latvia lost 65-76 to Australia, while Ivory Coast fell 24-117 to the United States. Latvia will face the USA on Tuesday at 3:45 PM local time in their final group game. The round of 16 on Wednesday will pit them against a team from Group B – China, Mexico, Spain, or Germany.
The squad includes players from basketball schools in Daugavpils, Jūrmala, Ogre, Valmiera, and Rīga. Six players – Skrebele, Jeļizaveta Naidjonova, Tikmere, Evelīna Sirsniņa, Brokāne, and Adele Priedīte – previously finished fourth at the U-16 European Championship. The other six are making their debut at this level.
Head coach Ilze Ose-Hlebovicka is leading the team in a top-level tournament for the third time. In pre-tournament friendlies, Latvia faced the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Canada, and Ivory Coast. This is the tenth time a Latvian youth team has participated in a World Cup; the best previous result was eighth place (U-21 in 2003 and U-17 in 2018).
