U18 Boys faced tough lessons in Albania

Gibraltar’s U18 side did not have the brightest of starts in their Group A matches in Albania as they competed in the FIBA U18 EuroBasket Division C.
Falling behind 24-10 in the first quarter, Gibraltar managed to outscore Cyprus in the second quarter 19-14 but lacked the cutting edge to close the gap. Outgunned 25-10 and 32-12 in the third and fourth quarters, Gibraltar suffered a 95-51 defeat to the team who would go on to win the tournament.
After resting on Sunday, they faced San Marino in their second group match — a game in which Gibraltar had hoped to produce a positive result. Following a lively first quarter, which San Marino edged 24-16, Gibraltar fell further behind, losing the second quarter 15-11. Two more quarters scoring below the twenty-point mark left them with an 87-64 defeat. Although an improvement on the scoreboard, the performance still fell short of the standards required at this level.
On Wednesday, Gibraltar returned to the court against Monaco. A tightly contested first quarter raised hopes of a positive outcome, with Monaco leading by just three points. However, Monaco extended their advantage in the second quarter, outscoring Gibraltar 20-15 to lead by eight. Gibraltar battled hard in the third quarter, restricting Monaco to just nine points and winning the period 13-9. Unfortunately, their efforts were undone in the final quarter, when Gibraltar recorded their lowest tally of the match, falling 27-12 as Monaco claimed a 75-56 victory.
In their final group match, Gibraltar faced a strong Armenia side and produced a surprise by leading 8-7 after the first quarter. Armenia, however, turned the tide in the second quarter with a 25-17 run before pulling away for a convincing 81-48 win.
Playing for 9th–10th place, Gibraltar were again outdone, this time by Malta. Despite a promising 14 points in the opening quarter, Gibraltar’s scoring dropped to 12, then 10, and finally just nine in the last quarter, as Malta ran out 78-45 winners. Although Malta did not score more than 22 points in any quarter — their final period producing just 13 — Gibraltar’s offensive struggles allowed them to secure a comfortable victory.