Albania prove too strong for Gibraltar’s U16’s in women’s division
Gibraltar U16 26-87 Albania U16
FIBA Women’s U16 Eurobasket
Gibraltar’s final group match was one of the toughest they would face, with Albania having already shown their consistency by beating Malta in the first match and narrowly losing against Moldova in their second group match.
It was a slow scoring first few minutes, with Albania grabbing an early point but the scoreboard not moving for a while after that. Showing how they had gained in confidence, Gibraltar denied Albania from adding to their tally until close to halfway through the first quarter, when Albania dropped two consecutive baskets to go 6-0 up.
It was just as quickly to go to 12-0 within the space of two minutes as Gibraltar kept losing possession in the middle of the court, providing free runs to the basket. A timeout was called in the hope of stemming the flow.
Unable to respond and yet to score, Gibraltar U16s found themselves trailing 15-0 with still two minutes of the first quarter to play. Gibraltar’s first basket came with just over a minute left to play in the quarter, cheered by the ever-present local crowd that maintained their support for the local girls throughout.
Gibraltar ended the first quarter with just two points on the scoreboard against Albania’s 22. However, they made a bright start scoring early on and adding a further ten points to their tally, although seeing Albania continue to pick up points. It was a brighter, more confident performance from the Gibraltar U16s, who, although knowing they faced a heavy defeat, managed to change the flow of the match, finishing at halftime with 14 points to their name. Albania, however, comfortably led 44-14, scoring another 22 points for a second time.
Albania led at one stage by 32 points and went on a seventeen-point spree without a response. There were nevertheless positives from Gibraltar’s young basketball players. Although facing a daunting task, they remained resolute in trying to go away with their heads held high and did not sink to their rivals’ fast-paced runs to the basket.
An early basket from Gibraltar was quickly followed by Albania’s now frequent response as they went 60-16 into the lead with still six minutes of the third quarter to play. Albania headed once again towards their 22 points.
As Albania reached the 66-point mark, there were cheers when Gibraltar added their next two. The cheers came from both the stands and the court itself as the players enjoyed their small successes. The third quarter saw Gibraltar finish with 20 points to their name, with Albania well in control with 75. The visitors upped their scoring rate to 31 for the quarter, although Gibraltar had been doing well, winning the same number of rebounds as their opponents, with 38 won by each.
The first three minutes of the final quarter saw many chances missed by both sides, but none adding to the tallies. It was Gibraltar who netted the first four points of the quarter. Albania, who had slowed their pace, scored five minutes into the quarter to make it 77-24.
The match saw some sportsmanlike behavior when an Albanian player fell badly, and it was the Gibraltar players who immediately ran to assist and ensure she was okay. A very low-scoring final quarter, with the victory more than secured by Albania, saw a dip in the match intensity from both sides. Albania continued to add to their tally, ending with an 87-26 victory, although not searching to build their tally too far.
Gibraltar now will have a day’s rest before heading into the playoff rounds, which will decide where they end up ranked in Division C.