Gibraltar U18s fall to Kosovo in both men's and women's U18 Eurobasket Division C

Gibraltar's U18 men's team faced another steep learning curve as they took on Kosovo at Qazim Dervishi in Shkodër, Albania, on Wednesday in the FIBA U18 EuroBasket Division C Championships.
Having faced a tough contest against Armenia the previous evening, where they lost ground in the closing quarters, Gibraltar found themselves behind early once again against Kosovo.
A 26-10 first quarter in favour of Kosovo set the tone for the remainder of the match.
Gibraltar were restricted to single-digit scoring in each of the remaining quarters, while Kosovo maintained their momentum with a 26-8 second quarter, followed by 24-7 and 23-6 third and fourth quarters respectively, as Gibraltar fell to a 99-31 defeat.
In the women's competition, being played at Palestra e Sporteve "Karagac" in Peja, Kosovo, Gibraltar also faced the host nation.
It was a similar story, with Gibraltar falling behind early as Kosovo took the opening quarter 23-5.
Gibraltar raised their game in the second quarter, showing determination and grit as they added to their tally, although Kosovo still edged the period 21-16.
It was back to single-digit scoring for Gibraltar in the third and fourth quarters as Kosovo cruised to victory, winning those periods 27-6 and 28-7 respectively to complete a 99-34 win.
Once again, the U18 EuroBasket Division C Championships highlighted the differences between smaller nations such as Gibraltar and the stronger Eastern European sides that regularly move between Divisions B and C.