Latvia's U16 basketball team to face France in tonight's final
After beating Spain in the semifinal, Latvia's U16 basketball team will play France tonight for the European Championship gold medal. The game starts at 20:30 and will be broadcast live on Latvian Television.
Latvia's U16 national basketball team will play France today in the final of the European Championship, with tip-off set for 20:30 and live coverage on Latvian Television.
Latvia earned its spot in the final with a tense 92:87 semifinal win over Spain, sealed by a comeback in a chaotic final quarter.
Beruē remains the tournament's top performer
Bendžamins Jānis Beruē was the standout in the semifinal, scoring 26 points, grabbing 15 rebounds and hitting three three-pointers, including one that helped secure the win. Beruē leads the entire championship in scoring, averaging 23.8 points per game. Other strong contributors were Markuss Aleksandrovs (15 points, six assists), Gustavs Vilcāns (14 points, five assists), and Matīss Preimanis and Rolands Teikmanis, who each scored 12 points.
An unbeaten opponent
France has yet to lose a game in this tournament, cruising through the group stage before beating Georgia, Romania, and then edging Lithuania in a tight semifinal. France has no single standout leader, with Mēsī-Getāns Ivānī topping the team's scoring at 13.3 points per game.
This marks only the second time in history Latvia's U16 team has reached the final. The first came in 2014, when the tournament was hosted in Latvia and Latvia lost the final to France, 53:78. Players from that team now form part of Latvia's senior national squad.
Earlier in the day, Spain and Lithuania will meet to decide the bronze medal.
