Belgium's young Cats controlled this one from start to finish, but Sweden made them sweat in the final stretch. Our girls led wire-to-wire and built a commanding 22-point cushion at 71-49 midway through the third quarter, only to see Sweden rip off a 12-0 run in the fourth that cut it to 84-77 with time running short. The lead held. A hard-fought seven-point win. The first half set the tone. Belgium built a 27-18 lead after one and extended it to 42-31 by the break, then pulled away further in the third with a 21-13 quarter that felt like the game was done. Turns out Sweden's Nyomi Hahn and company had other ideas — Hahn finished with 23 points on 8-of-17 shooting, and Linnea Norberg added 15, but it came too late to complete the comeback. Laura Vilcinskas was the anchor for our Cats, posting a double-double of 22 points and 12 rebounds on 8-of-17 shooting. Aurelie Vanderstraeten chipped in 16 points and six rebounds, knocking down three three-pointers, while Jada Lynch contributed 16 points and four assists. That balance across three scorers is what held up when Sweden pressed in the fourth. Next up: Italy U18 Women on Monday, August 3rd.