Croatian Cadets Rout North Macedonia by 55 Points at European Championship
Another stellar performance at the EuroBasket B Division: Croatia's U-16 team defeats North Macedonia 112:57 and remains undefeated.
Another stellar performance at the EuroBasket B Division: Croatia's U-16 team defeats North Macedonia 112:57 and remains undefeated.
Croatia's men's under-16 basketball team continued its impressive run at the European Championship B Division. In the third round of the competition held in Gevgelija, the team led by head coach Roko Leni Ukić convincingly defeated the host nation, North Macedonia, with a score of 112:57 (21:15, 25:18, 35:14, 31:10).
The match, played at the "26 April" hall, was entirely dominated by the Croatian cadets, who thus recorded their third win in as many games. Although the opening minutes were tight and uncertain, Croatia finished the first quarter with a six-point lead. By the 11th minute, a three-pointer by Fran Strahija and a dunk by Luka Leni Ukić pushed the lead into double digits for the first time, forcing the home team's bench to call a timeout.
At halftime, the score stood at 46:33, but the true strength of the Croatian team was revealed in the second half. Ukić's players won the third quarter by a massive 35:14, and in the final period they added another 31 points while conceding only ten. This brought the final margin to a staggering 55 points. The referees were Koyici from Turkey, Skandalakis from Greece, and Axmann from Austria.
Particularly impressive was the coach's son, Luka Leni Ukić, who was the game's top scorer with 28 points, along with three rebounds and four assists. Fran Strahija, son of the celebrated swimmer Marko Strahija, added 17 points, seven rebounds, and three assists. Vito Šarin finished the match with 15 points, four rebounds, and three assists. Nikša Zlopaša also delivered an excellent all-around performance, recording 12 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists.
For North Macedonia, Dion Shabani was the most efficient with 16 points and eight rebounds, while Kotevski added ten points. However, their individual efforts were not enough to threaten the powerful Croatian team.
This is the third consecutive victory for the Croatian cadets at the tournament. In the opener, they routed Switzerland 101:47, and then followed up with an even more convincing 107:33 win over Cyprus. In three games played, Croatia has scored a total of 320 points while conceding only 137, which speaks volumes about their dominance so far.
Before the end of the group stage, Ukić's team still faces Iceland and Ukraine. The top two teams from the group will secure a spot in the quarterfinals. The ultimate goal is clear, to finish among the top three teams in the tournament, i.e., to win one of the medals, which would secure a return to the more prestigious A Division.
