The men’s cadet basketball team of Serbia (players under 16 years old) was defeated by the Latvian selection with a score of 99:59 in the round of 16 of the European Championship in Romania.
Serbia maintained an even score during the first 17 minutes of the game, when the difference was two points in favor of Latvia.
However, in the closing minutes of the first half, the Latvian team used a 12:2 run, with two consecutive three-pointers by Markuss Jahovičs and points from Benjamins Beruets, to build a 14-point lead at the big break.
In the second half, Latvia kept increasing its lead and achieved a convincing victory. In the winning team, Markuss Jahovičs was the most efficient with 21 points (seven three-pointers), while Benjamins Beruets recorded 12 points, 14 rebounds, and nine assists.
In the Serbian national team, Luka Panić finished the game with 13 points scored.
Following this defeat, the Serbian selection continues the competition in the battle for classification from 9th to 16th place, where the goal is securing survival in Division A.
For safe retention in the highest rank, it is necessary to achieve a victory in the next match, or record wins in the remaining matches if a defeat occurs in the very next game, given that the last three spots (14th, 15th, and 16th) lead to Division B.
The next opponent for the Serbian national team will be the defeated team from the duel between Greece and Slovenia.
MORE TOPICS:
Source: Nova.rs, Photo: FIBA