FIBA U16 Women's EuroBasket (Division B)

Alma Kapetanovic supplied 19 points, 11 rebounds, 8 steals and 4 blocks in 38 minutes, but Switzerland U16 Women could not find a way past Slovakia U16 Women in the 3rd Place Game at the FIBA U16 Women's EuroBasket Division B, falling 49–61 in Piestany. Kapetanovic shot 9 of 16 from the field and anchored both ends of the floor — her eight steals led the defensive effort, and she cleaned the glass on both sides to keep her team in a game that Slovakia controlled through much of the second half. The 11 rebounds reflected the work required just to stay competitive; the efficiency of her shot selection (56 percent from two) kept Switzerland within reach longer than the final margin suggests. The 12-point deficit at the end marks fourth place for Switzerland in the competition. Kapetanovic's two-way display was not enough to overturn Slovakia's rhythm, but it ensured the Swiss had a genuine presence in a contest where the outcome was decided by execution and intensity in the final stretches. The campaign closes here.

Viktoriia Ulianova carried Azerbaijan U16 Women through a decisive 78–65 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina U16 Women, finishing with 34 points, 10 rebounds, 4 steals and 2 blocks across 40 minutes. The 13-point margin reflects a performance built on efficiency. Ulianova shot 13 of 21 from the field (62%) and a near-perfect 8 of 10 from the free-throw line, anchoring Azerbaijan's attack when Bosnia and Herzegovina mounted any resistance. Her only weakness came from three-point range—0 for 4—but she compensated by operating effectively inside and at the rim, where her size and footwork generated consistent looks. Four steals underscore her impact on the other end. Though the turnover count (2) and foul tally (3) sit cleanly in the margin of a dominant performance, it was her ability to finish possessions that closed out the game. With no further matches remaining in Division B for Azerbaijan in this competition, this dominant closing statement becomes her final mark in the campaign.

🏀 Final: Belgium U16 Women 75–57 Sweden U16 Women. Top: Eflin Nalli 15 PTS.

Eulalie Toussaint carries our young Cats into this one with numbers that speak for themselves: 14.5 points and 3.5 assists per game, a 42.5 TIB efficiency that sits well clear of the competition at this level. Sweden's Leia Agilar counters with a steadier 14 points and 2 assists—capable, but operating at 35.7 efficiency, a gap worth noting when the margins tighten. Belgium U16 Women and Sweden U16 Women meet at Diplomat Arena in Piestany for a Division B clash that hinges on guard play and decision-making. Toussaint's assist rate has been the engine of our attack; if she can thread those cutters and keep the tempo up, Sweden will struggle to match the pace. Agilar is the Swedes' primary engine—limit her touches, force her into tough angles, and you force their offense to work harder. This is the kind of matchup where one player's efficiency edge translates directly to wins. Tip-off is just after 3 hours.

Eflin Nalli steered our young Cats to the Semi-Finals T1 with a commanding performance: 20 points on clean 8-for-12 shooting, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals across 32 minutes. Belgium won 73–56 at home in Piestany, a 17-point margin that reflected a thorough effort. Nalli's shot selection was sharp — she made 2 of 3 from three-point range and 2 of 4 from the line — and her ball security was mostly sound across a half-hour workload. Five turnovers kept the performance from being flawless, but on a night when our team's depth and defensive intensity showed, her individual contribution was the clearest engine of the win. Slovakia offered little resistance. With the Semi-Finals T1 now in the books, attention turns to what comes next for our squad.

Belgium's young Cats dominated the second quarter to seal a comfortable semi-final victory, outscoring Slovakia 27–7 in that stretch alone and opening up a 21-point lead by half-time (42–21). The hosts never threatened a genuine comeback — Slovakia won the third quarter 20–13, but Belgium's cushion proved too large to erode, and the final 17-point margin reflected a controlled performance. Eflin Nalli led the way with 20 points on 8/12 shooting and 2/3 from three, adding five rebounds and three steals. Eulalie Toussaint contributed 16 points and six rebounds despite a difficult night from range (2/9), while Lina Claessens anchored the boards with seven rebounds and solid defence. Slovakia's Stella Kolenova shot cleanly at 6/6 from two, and Vilma Nedielkova chipped in 12 points, but neither found enough support to keep pace once Belgium's second-quarter run took hold. The early signs had been tight — just 15–14 after one — but the decisive burst in Q2 put the game beyond reach. This semi-final win caps a strong campaign for our young Cats in Division B.

Eulalie Toussaint lit it up in Piestany, dropping 25 points on 9-of-15 shooting in just 19 minutes as our young Cats dismantled Cyprus in a lopsided Group A affair. The 5-of-8 mark from three underscored her efficiency; she also chipped in 4 assists and 2 steals to round out the line. Belgium U16 Women finished their FIBA U16 EuroBasket Division B campaign with a 93–32 win — a 61-point margin that spoke less to Toussaint's brilliance alone and more to the gap in execution between the two sides on the day. Still, her scoring burst and crisp ballhandling in a limited stint gave our squad real firepower when it mattered in what was, ultimately, a dominant group-stage performance.

Berglind Katla Hlynsdóttir finished what will be her last game in this competition with 31 points, 9 rebounds and 8 assists, anchoring Iceland U16 Women's 87–78 semifinal victory over Denmark U16 Women in Ioannina. The 12-of-21 shooting (4-of-7 from three) gave Hlynsdóttir the offensive firepower to pace the win. Her ball movement—eight assists against six turnovers across 35 minutes—controlled the floor when it mattered. On the glass and defensively, she added 9 rebounds, 4 steals and 4 blocks; the efficiency math was there. Iceland's nine-point margin held through a contest that stayed competitive until the end. Hlynsdóttir's performance in a semifinal that closes out the team's Division B campaign underscored the standard of play she brought to the tournament.

🏀 Final: Belgium U16 Women 85–51 Bosnia and Herzegovina U16 Women. Top: Eulalie Toussaint 10 PTS.

Mojan Malek finished the classification stage with a commanding 22 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 5 steals and 1 block in 26 minutes, shooting 8 of 16 from the floor and 3 of 7 from three-point range. Our GB U16 Women's side put Ireland away with a 91–63 win in Ioannina, a 28-point margin that reflected the gap in class across the two squads. The result concludes our campaign in Division B. Malek's two-way work — the steals and rebound volume alongside the scoring efficiency — typified what it took to win convincingly at this level, and her presence in the second half made the outcome less competitive than it ever looked like being. A functional finish to the tournament for the group.

Great Britain's U16 Women never trailed in a 28-point rout of Ireland, establishing complete control from the opening tip and turning the classification game into a one-sided affair. Our GB led 31–12 after the first quarter and extended that advantage to 48–29 by half-time. Ireland mounted a brief second-quarter push, rattling off 11 unanswered points mid-period to cut the deficit to 18, but it proved too little to shift the momentum. Great Britain's third quarter was decisive: a 25-point haul stretched the lead to 31 points at 73–42, effectively settling the contest. Ireland salvaged some pride with a 19-point fourth quarter, but the outcome had long been decided by then. Mojan Malek led our GB with a commanding double-double: 22 points on 8/16 shooting, 10 rebounds, 5 steals and a block. Chantelle Okoli added 20 points on efficient 5/10 two-point shooting and 8/10 free throws, while Sytira Smith chipped in 10 points on a perfect 1/2 from the field and 8/11 from the stripe. For Ireland, Sorcha Kelly's 14 points on 5/6 free-throw accuracy was their brightest spark, though the wider offensive struggles—Ireland shot just 25% from three-point range—proved fatal against a GB side that shot the ball with precision throughout.

Lily Jans ran the offense cleanly in Piestany, dropping 14 points and 6 assists to steer our young Cats past Switzerland 70–54 in Group A play. The Belgium U16 Women guard made her shooting nights count — 3-for-6 from three, 5-for-6 from the line — even as she worked through a heavy load with 33 minutes and 6 turnovers that spoke to the pace she was asked to manage. A 16-point margin away from home is the kind of control performance that builds tournament momentum. Jans's ball movement and decision-making held up under pressure, and her four steals showed the defensive intensity underneath her playmaking. Not a flawless night — the shooting efficiency outside the three-point line wasn't there — but in a youth competition, a floor general who keeps the tempo right and limits mistakes when it matters is exactly what you need. Next up: another Group A fixture as we build toward the knockout rounds.

Annie Kibedi sits atop the efficiency charts for our young Cats here in Piestany, and she'll walk straight into Evi Anne Josephine Bartel — the standout Switzerland has leaned on all week. Both players are rated 37+ in TIB Efficiency, a rarity at this level, and both have grown into their respective offenses over recent games. Kibedi has been the primary initiator for Belgium, averaging 11.5 points and 2.4 assists per game. Her court vision and willingness to attack downhill have become the connective tissue in our group-play setup. Bartel, meanwhile, is Switzerland's steadier presence: 8.8 points nightly with a tighter offensive load, but her defensive positioning and floor craft have kept the Swiss competitive. The math here is clean. Whoever controls the tempo and forces turnovers will likely control the win. Kibedi's assist rate suggests Belgium wants to play freely; Bartel's scoring efficiency says Switzerland won't break in easy. Switzerland vs Belgium tips off in Division B. This is the kind of young-player matchup that shapes how both nations build over the next cycle — watch it unfold.

Berglind Katla Hlynsdóttir carved through our GB defence for 31 points, adding 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 steals as Iceland pulled away in the second half to win 72–59 in Ioannina. The Icelandic forward was efficient and relentless. She controlled space, moved well off the ball, and made the simple reads when the defence collapsed around her. Our GB side competed in stretches but couldn't sustain the defensive intensity needed to limit her impact on both ends—Hlynsdóttir's theft count reflects how often she turned over possessions in transition. The gap widened as the game wore on. Iceland's execution in transition and their ability to get stops fed directly into their scoring rhythm, with Hlynsdóttir at the centre of it. Our GB players will take the film review seriously and regroup for the next fixture.

Berglind Katla Hlynsdóttir has been running at a different tempo altogether — 33 points per game and a TIB Efficiency rating of 100 makes her the standout operator in this division so far. Chantelle Okoli has been our GB side's anchor, averaging 21 points with a 24 TIB rating, but Iceland's captain is operating on another scale entirely. The gap in playmaking tells its own story. Hlynsdóttir has orchestrated four assists per game; Okoli hasn't recorded one over the same stretch. That's not a slight — it reflects how our attack has been structured — but it underscores how complete Iceland's threat is heading in. They'll be favoured on this evidence alone. Our GB squad will need to find answers on the glass and in transition defence. Hlynsdóttir punishes space, and if Iceland's shooters get comfortable early, this becomes a runaway contest. Okolski's consistency could be the tether that keeps us in it. Tip-off in three hours. Watch how our GB side adjusts.