Israel routs Finnish national team at U20 EuroBasket
Israel's U20 team is building on the momentum of the country's strong showing at the recent FIBA U19 World Cup.
Israel's Under-20 national basketball team continued its impressive start to the European Championship with a commanding 88-69 win over Finland on Sunday afternoon. The victory at the University of Crete Hall in Greece, powered by a dominant 21-1 run in the second quarter, pushed Israel to a 2-0 record in Group A and set the stage for its final group game against Poland.
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Led by guard Omer Mayer, who scored 19 points on 5-of-9 shooting from beyond the arc and added 6 assists and 5 rebounds, Israel showed the type of character and depth that defines successful youth teams. Maxym Filonenko added 15 points, 6 rebounds, 3 steals, and 2 blocks in a breakout performance, while Yoav Vitlem also scored 15 and contributed on both ends of the court.
Israel's U20 team is building on the momentum of the country's strong showing at the recent FIBA U19 World Cup, where several current players – including Omer Mayer, Alon Michaeli, and Vitlem – helped lead the team to the quarterfinals, further highlighting the depth and promise of Israeli youth basketball.
Sunday's game against the Fins began evenly, with Israel grabbing a slight early lead thanks to Mayer's hot hand from deep. But once Mayer took a breather, Finland's superior physicality began to show, and the Scandinavians ended the first quarter ahead, 25-20, following a 12-0 run.
Israel responded emphatically in the second quarter. Filonenko came off the bench and ignited the team with relentless energy on the offensive glass and on defense. Alongside Mayer, he sparked a game-changing 21-1 run that flipped the contest on its head. By halftime, Israel had built an 11-point cushion and never looked back.
The Israeli National Basketball Team participating in the U-20 European championships. (credit: FIBA)
Controlling the game's tempo
The second half saw Israel control the tempo, maintaining a double-digit lead throughout. Michaeli and Shachar Doron added 10 points apiece, and Vitelman came out strong in the third with five quick points to squash any hopes of a Finnish comeback. While Finland managed to trim the lead slightly in garbage time, Israel's dominance was never in doubt.
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The game followed up Israel's impressive 79-74 win over Spain in its opening match, establishing the young blue-and-white squad as one of the form teams of the tournament so far. All four teams in each group advance to the knockout stage, but final seeding will determine matchups, meaning a win over Poland could secure a favorable path in the tournament.
With two strong wins in as many games, coach Sharon Avrahami's squad looks focused and ready for bigger challenges ahead.
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