Cadet national team defeats Italy 68:37 in European Championship opener
Daniela Reuven's squad impressed in their tournament debut, anchored by a dominant second quarter where they held their opponents to just two points. Michal Abudraham led the way for the blue-and-whites with 16 points and 9 rebounds.
The Israeli cadet national team secured a resounding 68:37 victory today (Friday) over Italy in the opening game of the U16 European Basketball Championship. A dominant second quarter, in which Israel held the Italians to just 2 points while scoring 20, paved the way for Daniela Reuven's side to claim the win.
Michal Abudraham (16 points and 9 rebounds) starred on the court, leading a trio of Israeli players who reached double-digit scoring figures. Tomorrow, Israel will face Latvia in their second Group B encounter.
Israel started strong, applying defensive pressure that stifled the Italian offense. Abudraham, who accounted for 5 of the first 6 points, established a 6:0 lead. Italy managed to recover slightly, cutting the gap to 9:7, but Israel responded with a 7:2 run, fueled by Linda Lifer, to end the first quarter up 16:9.
Lifer continued her momentum in the second quarter, hitting a three-pointer that pushed the lead to double digits at 19:9. Abudraham then took control, scoring 8 consecutive points, while a layup from Rona Tzalal extended the lead to 18. With contributions from bench players Noam Rozmarin and Ella Maoz Barda, Israel headed into halftime with a commanding 36:11 lead.
Although the third quarter began with some offensive hesitation, Mika Sharaf and Neta Shenker soon restored order, extending the lead to 46:15. Coach Daniela Reuven utilized the opportunity to rotate her squad, giving minutes to Eden Polls, Adi Levy, and Dafna Winterfeld. A deep shot from Tzalal closed the third quarter at 53:19.
Israel maintained full control in the final frame. Polls and Shenker pushed the lead to 35 points at 60:25 with under five minutes remaining. Tahel Dugan became the third player to reach double digits, scoring 6 consecutive points to finish with 10. The game ended 68:37, giving Israel a 1:0 record in Group B.
Israeli Scoring Summary:
Michal Abudraham — 16 points (9 rebounds, 2 steals), Linda Lifer — 11 points (4/6 FG), Tahel Dugan — 10 points (3 steals), Rona Tzalal — 8 points (4 rebounds, 2 assists), Ella Maoz Barda — 6 points (10 rebounds, 8 assists), Neta Shenker — 6 points (5 steals), Eden Polls — 5 points, Noam Rozmarin — 4 points, Mika Sharaf — 2 points.
