GABBA Under 16’s to Europe

Gibraltar’s u16 boys and girls National Teams are playing in their respective EuroBasket Division C 2025 competitions throughout this week. Coincidentally, both are very young teams, with no less than nine (in the Boys) and eight (in the Girls) of the 12 in each team eligible to play in this age group next season.

The Boys left earlier last week on Thursday, bound for Shkodra (Albania), where they started their participation on Saturday, having been drawn in Group B, together with Luxembourg, their first opponents followed by San Marino yesterday, Monday, Andorra (Wednesday, 7:30 pm), and Azerbaijan (Thursday, 9:30 pm).

Teams in Group A: Albania, Malta, Armenia and Moldova.

Matches for Final Placings will be played on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, with Gibraltar playing on two of those days.

The full delegation is: Stevie Linares (Head of Delegation), Tim Azopardi (Coach), Abdul Afrah (Assistant Coach, David Connor (Sports therapist)
Players (age in brackets): Javier Andrews (16), Jack Balban (15), Shae Felice(13), Ben Lejeune (14), Callum Lightbody (16), Oliver Lines (14), Kamran Sassani (15) [Bavaria Blue Stars], Jake Canepa (15), Jack Cassaglia (14), Julek Wojniak (15) [Hercules Gators], Evan Cocklan (14) [Bayside], and Jeevan Sandhu (16) [Milton Keynes Breakers].

The Girls travelled on Sunday to Peja (Kosovo), and play their first match in Group A today Tuesday, against Cyprus (1:00 pm), followed on Wednesday, against Armenia (1:00 pm), and on Thursday, against Georgia (6:00 pm).

Moldova, Malta, Kosovo and Albania make up Group B, completing a fearsome lineup in this competition.

Friday is a rest day, and Cross Over matches on Saturday and Final Placings matches on Sunday complete the programme.

The full delegation, headed by Yasmine Ben Youssef, is Monica Brown (Coach), Luis Romero (Assistant Coach), Louise Gonçalves (Sports therapist).
Players (age in brackets): Briella Bagu (12), Chloe Balban (12), Erin Berry (15), Brylee Costa (13), Jannat El Yettefti (14) [Med Fever], Hayley Cerisola (16), Sheniah Efigenio (16), Tasnim El Yettefti (16), Daniela Martinez (15) [Liberty Rocks], Lily Mauro (14), Yasmin Sarsri (15), Ursule Verseckaite (16) [Europa Sky].

Match Report - Boy’s U16

Strong Start for Gibraltar U16s Against Luxembourg Ends in Tough Defeat
It was a strong start for Gibraltar’s U16s against Luxembourg.
Despite initially falling behind, they managed to recover and briefly take the lead at 6–7. Luxembourg quickly responded with a steal and a three-pointer, then added to their tally to make it 12–7 with four minutes left in the first quarter.
Gibraltar, despite the height disadvantage, showed great determination on the court as they tried to stay in the game.
However, Luxembourg began to demonstrate why they were among the tournament favourites, doubling their score to 14–7 soon after, with efficient and precise play.
Although Gibraltar’s U16s had valuable experience from playing in regional Spanish leagues, they struggled to contain a strong Luxembourg side.
It took a while before they scored again—and almost as long to follow up with their next points. Five quick points gave them a much-needed boost, closing the gap to 18–12 in the final minute of the quarter.
Luxembourg, however, scored again in the final seconds to take a 20–12 lead at the first break.
Disappointingly, Gibraltar missed six free throws, missing the opportunity to narrow the gap further.
It took Gibraltar eight attempts before they finally scored from a free throw. This came as they began to stall Luxembourg’s momentum and attempt a comeback.
Luxembourg didn’t score until two minutes into the second quarter, having gone more than five minutes without a point.
Nervousness and inexperience led to some wild plays, with missed passes and turnovers that hampered Gibraltar’s efforts.
Despite this, they managed to keep Luxembourg limited to just two points until midway through the quarter.
Luxembourg then hit back with two quick baskets, forced a foul to regain possession, and scored again to stretch the lead to 28–13. Efficient from the free-throw line, they added another to make it 29–13.
A rotation in Luxembourg’s lineup added more height on the court, making it even more difficult for Gibraltar to defend. The score climbed to 35–13 with half the second quarter still to play.
It was turning into a power performance by Luxembourg, who appeared to be in full flow. With six minutes left in the half, the score had surged to 44–13.
The early signs of promise from Gibraltar had faded. By halftime, Luxembourg were in complete control, leading 53–19—a brutal reminder of the calibre of opposition Gibraltar can face, even in Division C.
Though Luxembourg may be one of the closer teams to Gibraltar’s level, the presence of other strong sides such as Armenia and Azerbaijan makes this a tough group. Gibraltar’s smaller pool of players compared to their opponents is also a significant factor.
Three early turnovers in the second half gave Luxembourg another six points as they continued their momentum.
Gibraltar were unable to mount a comeback and struggled to contain their opponents.
Luxembourg ultimately ran away with a comprehensive 109–39 victory. A tough blow for Gibraltar’s U16s in their opening group match. The early moments of promise, including a brief lead, now felt like a distant memory—but remained a positive sign of potential.