Tough start for U16s in Eurobasket with 109-56 defeat at hands of hosts Armenia

Gibraltar U16s' first outing in the U16 EuroBasket Division C Championship saw them face Armenia in what proved to be a quick reality check on the challenges of international competition.
The second day of the tournament, and Gibraltar's opening match, saw Armenia dominate the first quarter with a 36-11 lead, immediately underlining their quality.
Although facing a stronger side in terms of both quality and overall performance, Gibraltar did not yield. Armenia had been expected to provide a difficult opening test, with the hosts among the favourites in Group B alongside Malta.
Determined to keep their heads high, Gibraltar responded well in the second quarter, limiting Armenia's scoring opportunities during the opening minutes while creating chances of their own in an attempt to reduce the deficit.
Some good rebounding and high-pressure defending high up the court provided Gibraltar with several strong defensive moments, helping them add their first points of the second quarter while Armenia remained scoreless for the opening two minutes. This gave the Gibraltar team added confidence.
It was not until almost five minutes into the second quarter that Armenia scored again, with Gibraltar showing their ability to adapt to the pace of the game and pose a challenge of their own, although it was not enough against such strong opposition.
It was a steep learning curve. Despite their improved performance, Gibraltar were unable to make a significant dent in the deficit. Armenia capitalised when they broke Gibraltar's momentum, extending their advantage once again.
With four minutes remaining before half-time, Armenia led 46-21.
Although their confidence had been dented after seeing their efforts produce little reward, Gibraltar's response remained admirable as they battled for every ball, making life as difficult as possible for their opponents despite falling further behind on the scoreboard.
Quick, disciplined and efficient passing, combined with a strong counterattack, saw Armenia finish the second quarter leading 60-27.
The hosts were firmly in control, having already demonstrated they were among the group favourites after defeating Andorra 98-62 the previous evening.
In the other Group B match, Malta beat Monaco 107-73. The high-scoring nature of both matches was something Gibraltar would need to bear in mind as they looked ahead to their remaining group fixtures.
After winning the opening quarter 36-11, Armenia, despite being held scoreless for almost the first five minutes of the second period, still won the quarter 24-16.
There was little doubt as to who controlled the pace of the match, with Armenia imposing themselves from the opening minutes of the third quarter to extend their lead to 70-27 before Gibraltar responded.
Armenia's aggressive high press limited Gibraltar's attacks to only a handful of opportunities during the early stages of the third quarter. They stole possession repeatedly, with only their finishing preventing them from reaching the 80-point mark even sooner, showing that even at this level they could miss relatively straightforward baskets.
Having been put under relentless pressure, Gibraltar once again showed admirable resilience, continuing to battle and adding to their own tally.
With four minutes remaining in the third quarter, the score stood at 77-32 after Armenia had looked set to pull even further away.
Armenia continued to showcase their quality, moving 87-34 ahead with just two minutes remaining in the third quarter. A three-point basket from well beyond the arc was converted with the confidence of senior-level basketball.
With every major score celebrated over the public address system, Gibraltar were also facing an atmosphere they were unaccustomed to, adding further pressure.
The third quarter ended 90-38. The only positive for Gibraltar was that they had prevented Armenia from matching their first-quarter scoring total.
Having seen Malta surpass the 100-point mark against Monaco, there was little doubt Armenia would also be aiming to reach a century in order to maintain a strong points difference.
However, the advantage they had already built was more than enough as they maintained their defensive intensity and continued to limit Gibraltar's scoring opportunities.
Three minutes into the final quarter, Gibraltar had yet to add to their score while Armenia edged closer to the 100-point mark.
Armenia eventually claimed a 109-56 victory.
Although it was a steep learning curve with which to begin their campaign, this was never expected to be the match in which Gibraltar would make their mark. Both Armenia and Malta had been anticipated to provide extremely difficult opposition. Gibraltar next face Malta, with their hopes largely resting on the remaining group matches against Monaco and Andorra before the classification play-offs.