Israel's cadet girls' national team falls to Lithuania and is relegated to Division B

Despite the fact that Israel's cadet girls' national team can still finish in 13th place, which guarantees staying in Division A, the fact that Bulgaria will host the next championship and is also in the 13-16 place range determined that Israel's cadet national team (under 16) will play in Division B next year. Israel surrendered this evening (Wednesday) 69-80 to the Lithuanian national team in a game that remained close for most of the duration, until the Lithuanians pulled away towards the end to secure the victory. Israel went to halftime with a narrow 34-38 lead, but a final quarter of 27-19 in favor of Lithuania decided the outcome. Michal Abudraham stood out with 15 points and 12 rebounds.

The start of the game was balanced, until Tal Dugan managed to give Israel a small lead towards the end of the first quarter at 13-17. Israel's lead was maintained at the start of the second quarter when Michal Abudraham extended it to 23-29. Adi Levi scored 6 points in a row, but the Lithuanians stayed in the game with two three-pointers, making it 34-38 for Israel at halftime.

Throughout the third quarter, the game remained balanced as neither team managed to pull away. The Lithuanians tightened their defense and managed to take a 50-53 lead heading into the final period. With the start of the last quarter, Lithuania's momentum continued, and the scoreboard showed 60-67 with 6 minutes remaining. Israel struggled on offense, and the gap grew to 62-71 with 2 minutes left. Israel tried to rally until the final buzzer, but without success.

For Israel:

Michal Abudraham (12 rebounds) 15 points, Rona Tzalal and Tal Dugan 12 each, Ella Maoz Barda 10, Adi Levi 6, Mika Sharaf 5, Noam Rozmarin 4, Linda Liper 3, Eden Poles and Dafna Winterfeld 1 each.