Poland U18 · 33 min★★★★★
24 pts3 reb0 ast67.0 TIB EFF
Aaron Ona Embo carried our young Lions through a narrow defeat in Kaunas, dropping 37 points on efficient shooting to nearly pull off the comeback against Poland U18. His 5 rebounds and 2 assists kept Belgium in the fight until the final minutes, but it was not enough: the scoreboard read 89–81 in Poland's favor.
The performance stands as a bright spot in an otherwise difficult result. Ona Embo's scoring load—nearly half of Belgium's total output—underlines how much the offense leaned on him down the stretch. He fought for possessions, hunted for his shot, and gave our boys every chance to level the score. That he did so against a Poland side that came prepared makes the effort all the more noteworthy.
Still, a loss is a loss, and two points of separation stings. Belgium will need to reset fast and tighten up the details that slipped away in this one. The work continues at this Division B stage.
1
2
3
4
POL
20
20
28
21
BEL
25
15
21
20
Poland U18 held off a late rally from our young Lions to claim an 89–81 win in a back-and-forth Division B thriller that never settled until the final buzzer.
The Poles controlled the third quarter decisively, outscoring Belgium 28–21 to build a 12-point lead at 68–56. But our boys refused to fold. A one-possession game inside the final two minutes kept hope alive, yet Poland's experience in the closing stretch proved the difference. The first half had been a near-perfect chess match—seven lead changes and seven ties, with Belgium leading by as many as nine early on before Poland erased that deficit with a devastating 13–0 run in the second quarter to level at 40–40.
Aaron Ona Embo was unstoppable for Belgium, pouring in 37 points to lead all scorers. Christian Elocobe added 12 and Tom Kasongo contributed 10, but it wasn't enough to overcome August Chałupa's 24-point night for Poland or Hubert Swirydowicz's 18 points and seven rebounds.
Our young Lions showed genuine character in the comeback bid, yet missed opportunities in the fourth quarter cost them. Next up is Game for 3rd place.
1
2
3
4
POL
20
20
28
21
BEL
25
15
21
20
Aaron Ona Embo arrives as the clear separator in this matchup.
Our young Lions' standout is running a 64.5 TIB Efficiency rating through recent games, averaging 23.2 points and 4.3 assists per outing. That kind of scoring load and creative flow at U18 level is rare — he's not just putting the ball in the basket, he's moving it and dictating tempo. Poland sends Hubert Swirydowicz, a solid contributor at 36.7 TIB EFF with 9.3 PPG, but the gulf in current form is stark.
This is a chance for Belgium to assert control early and often. The onus falls on Ona Embo to maintain that efficiency and set the tone defensively as well — youth tournaments are decided by which team's best player can wring out four or five consecutive stops in a row. Poland will need Swirydowicz to find secondary scoring and catch our Lions sleeping on movement, but the burden of proof rests elsewhere.
Tip-off in three hours. Watch it live.
You have reached the end.
