Latvia's U-16 basketball team becomes European champion for the first time
Latvia's U-16 men's basketball team defeated France 74:66 in the final to win its first-ever European championship title. Spain took bronze after beating Lithuania in the third-place game.
Latvia's U-16 men's basketball team has won gold at the European championship, beating France 74:66 in the final. It marks the first time in the country's basketball history that the U-16 boys' team has become European champion.
Bendžamins Jānis Beruē led the Latvian scoring with 22 points and 13 rebounds, while Markuss Jahovičs added 15 points. The final was a tight contest — France took an early lead and went into halftime up by one point, but Latvia pulled ahead again in the third quarter, extending its lead to as much as 14 points. France cut the gap to four points in the final quarter, but points scored by Beruē in the last minute secured the win for Latvia.
On the way to the final, Latvia's young players won all three group-stage games, against Italy, Turkey and the Czech Republic, finishing first in their group. In the knockout rounds they convincingly defeated Serbia, then Greece, and beat Spain in the semifinal. In the bronze-medal game, Spain defeated Lithuania.
This was the second time Latvia's U-16 team reached a European final. In 2014, when the tournament was held in Latvia, the team lost the final to France as well. That squad included players who are now on the senior national team — Rodions Kurucs, Artūrs Strautiņš, Kristers Zoriks and Roberts Blumbergs. Latvia's youth teams have also reached European finals before: the U-18 team in 2018 and the U-20 team in 2013, both ending in defeat.
Latvia's U-16 roster included Ronalds Teikmanis, Ralfs Barlots, Kristians Martinsons, Markuss Jahovičs, Bendžamins Jānis Beruē, Gustavs Vilcāns, Gustavs Ķirsons, Emīls Hauka, Juris Sičkars, Mārtiņš Rasnačs, Matīss Preimanis and Markuss Aleksandrovs.
