Latvia's U18 girls to face Poland again for World Cup spot

Latvia's U18 women's basketball team will meet Poland on Saturday, August 8, at 14:00 in the semifinal for fifth place at the European Championship. The match is part of the European U18 Championship being held in Sweden, and the winner will face the winner of the Belgium-Italy duel on Sunday.

The game carries extra significance, as the tournament is currently determining the final qualification spots for next year's FIBA U19 World Cup in China. Europe has five slots available, and Latvia, Poland, Belgium and Italy are still competing for the last one.

In their final group-stage meeting, Latvia lost to Poland 70:73, despite holding their opponents scoreless from open play during the final seven minutes — Poland padded their tally through other means. Poland's top performers are Zuzanna Marcinska and Helena Danilewicz, while Nadja Klobukowska was highly effective in an earlier meeting between the teams. Latvia's leading players are Marta Ploriņa, Mila Luzgina and Ieva Vēvere.

A tight-knit team

On Friday evening, the young players supported Latvia's senior women's national team at the Kista exhibition hall, reflecting the cohesive squad head coach Rūdolfs Rozītis has built. Although coaches were ready to grant a rest day after five games in six days and securing a spot among Europe's top eight, the players themselves chose to keep training.

The tournament runs nine days in total, and how the team performs in its closing stages will show whether their early motivation has held.