Israel rolls past Poles, stays perfect at U20 EuroBasket
In its third win in as many days, Sharon Avrahami's squad overcame an early deficit and used a spectacular 24-0 run bridging the second and third quarters to take control of the game.
Israel's Under-20 National Team remained perfect at the European Championship with a 91-75 victory over Poland on Monday, locking up first place in Group A and advancing to the last-16, where it will face Romania.
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In its third win in as many days, Sharon Avrahami's squad overcame an early deficit and used a spectacular 24-0 run bridging the second and third quarters to take control of the game.
Alon Michaeli led the way with a dominant 28-point-12-rebound performance, while point guard Omer Mayer added 24 points and 11 assists in what was another brilliant outing for the Israeli backcourt.
The game opened with high energy from the blue-and-white, which raced out to a 17-7 lead. But Poland clawed back behind physical play and second-chance points, taking advantage of Israel's defensive lapses in the paint.
By late in the second quarter, the Poles had flipped the momentum completely, building a 40-30 lead as Israel struggled to move the ball or generate clean looks.
ISRAEL GUARD Shachar Doron scored 10 points in the blue-and-white's 88-69 victory over Finland to improve to 2-0 at the U20 EuroBasket. (credit: FIBA)
But with the half winding down, Michaeli and Mayer took over. The pair ignited a furious 24-0 run, begun in the final minutes of the second quarter and extending deep into the third, that left Poland stunned and gave Israel a commanding double-digit advantage. At one point, the lead ballooned to 24, with Israel's offense clicking and its defense forcing stop after stop.
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To Poland's credit, it didn't fold. Sharpshooting from the perimeter helped it cut the lead to single digits midway through the fourth quarter, but every time the Poles threatened, Michaeli and Mayer responded with timely buckets. Shachar Doron added 13 points, Yoav Vitlem scored 8, and Daniel Sharon chipped in 7 points and 10 rebounds in a well-rounded team effort.
Perfect 3–0 record
Having already beaten Spain and Finland earlier in the tournament, Israel finished the group stage with a perfect 3–0 record.
The win ensured an easier round-of-16 matchup against Romania, avoiding a much tougher Lithuanian team that awaits the group's runner-up. With its eyes set on the quarterfinals, Israel knows Wednesday's knockout game is a must-win – not only due to the quality of the opponent, but because of what's at stake in the tournament's critical elimination phase.
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