Croatia U18 Shockingly Eliminated by Poland with Buzzer-Beater Three at Zamet
Swirydowicz hit a three-pointer in the final second for a 66:68 win, sending Poland to the semifinals of the European Championship B Division in Rijeka.
Swirydowicz hit a three-pointer in the final second for a 66:68 win, sending Poland to the semifinals of the European Championship B Division in Rijeka.
The Croatian under-18 basketball team suffered a heart-stopping defeat in the quarterfinals of the European Championship B Division. At Rijeka's Zamet Centre, Poland won 68:66 with a buzzer-beating three-pointer, securing their semifinal spot, while Croatia was left without a place among the tournament's top four teams.
According to Sportske novosti, Croatia opened the game better and built an advantage on the back of an inspired Tomo Vučković, who scored 10 points in the first quarter. Poland, however, managed to claw their way back through Musialek and finished the opening period just half a basket behind (19:18).
In the second quarter, Perić and Vučković continued to drive Croatia's attack, and after Salamunić's layup in the 15th minute, the lead grew again. Poland's coach called a timeout, but it didn't halt the hosts' surge. Croatia went up by 11 on the wings of Vučković and Salamunić, but the visitors responded through Swirydowicz and Lysek, cutting the deficit to seven at halftime (40:33). Tomo Vučković scored 15 points in the first half without making a single three-pointer.
Poland had already attempted 23 free throws in the first 20 minutes and were clearly the more physical side. An additional problem for Croatia was early foul trouble, Čuvalo and Santro had two and three personal fouls respectively by halftime.
The second half brought a complete turnaround for Poland. Swirydowicz and Chalupa pulled closer at the start of the third quarter, and although the impressive Zdravko Perić answered with a three-pointer, Poland took their first lead in the 27th minute through Losiak. Then Vučković stepped up and practically single-handedly restored Croatia's advantage heading into the final period. At that moment, Croatia's best player had 26 points and 10 rebounds in just 25 minutes on the court.
The final quarter was extremely tough and uncertain, with neither side able to pull away significantly. Then came the drama in the last minute: Croatia missed several free throws and squandered a three-possession lead. In the end, Grbin mishandled the inbound pass, Vučković couldn't receive it, and Swirydowicz hit the game-winning three-pointer in the final second for a 68:66 victory and a big celebration for Poland.
As previously reported by Riportal, Rijeka has been one of the centres of European youth basketball these days. Matches and training sessions are held at the Zamet Centre and the "Dinko Lukarić" Hall, and the City of Rijeka, in cooperation with the Croatian Basketball Federation, secured €37,500 for the organisation of the championship. A total of 22 national teams are competing in the B Division tournament, which started on 24 July and runs until Sunday, 2 August 2026.
For the Croatian juniors, the defeat is all the more bitter because a win would have not only secured a semifinal spot and a medal showdown, but also promotion to the higher tier of competition. Instead, Poland will fight for the final, while Croatia will continue in the classification round.
