U18 women begin European Championship in Stockholm against Croatia
Latvia's U18 women's basketball team open their European Championship campaign in Stockholm on Saturday against Croatia. Serbia and Poland await in the group stage.
The Latvian U18 women's basketball team will begin the European Championship in Stockholm on Saturday, 1 August. Coached by Rūdolfs Rozītis and Edgars Ikstens, the side face Croatia at 21:45 at the Kista exhibition centre. The game will be streamed in the article.
The squad flew to the Swedish capital on Thursday morning and tried out the Kista courts the same day. The traditional team photo session took place on the eve of the tournament.
The roster has been affected by setbacks. Maija Aploka will miss the finals due to injury, while Aleksa Skudra, Kristīne Hauka and Sindija Miščenko were removed from the candidate list before the camp. Centre Annija Birziņa could not travel to Stockholm.
Several players have already seen action at summer tournaments. Marta Ploriņa and Mila Luzgina competed at the U20 European Championship in Klaipėda and Alytus in July, while Šarlote Skrebele was Latvia's top scorer at the U17 World Cup in Brno. Kerlīna Balode joined the team before friendlies in Germany; Skrebele linked up with the squad after the Baltic Cup in Kaunas.
Five players in the current line-up were part of the side that finished ninth at the U16 finals in 2024. Six players will make their European Championship debut, while Anete Ozoliņa featured at the event in La Palma last year. Marta Ploriņa will serve as captain; she turns 18 in 18 days.
Latvia are in Group D alongside Serbia, Poland and Croatia. Croatia's roster includes Olivia Vukoša, who averaged 22.6 points and 17.1 rebounds at the 2023 U16 European Championship. All 16 teams advance to the round of 16, and Latvia will face Serbia and Poland in their next group games.
