Israel U18 National Team Advances to European Championship Quarterfinals
Nadav Zilberstein's squad remains undefeated after a 100:86 victory over Denmark. David Moses led the charge with a double-double, recording 23 points and 17 rebounds.
The Israel U18 national team continues its impressive run at the European Youth Championship. On Wednesday, the squad led by head coach Nadav Zilberstein defeated Denmark 100:86, securing a spot in the quarterfinals. With this victory, the team maintains a perfect record in the tournament and has guaranteed its place in Division A for the upcoming year. Their next opponent will be determined by the outcome of the match between Slovenia and Latvia.
The first half was a back-and-forth affair. Israel started strong, establishing an 11-point lead in the opening quarter. The Danes fought back, briefly taking the lead midway through the second quarter, but the 'Blue and Whites' responded with a strong surge to head into halftime with a 50:40 advantage.
In the second half, Israel took full control of the game, fueled by standout performances from David Moses (23 points and 17 rebounds), Aviv Aronov (22 points), and Omri Orland (21 points).
Individual stats for Israel:
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David Moses: 23 pts, 17 rebs, 2 steals, 2 blocks
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Aviv Aronov: 22 pts, 8 rebs, 4 assists
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Omri Orland: 21 pts (4/7 from 3-point range)
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Rom Stoller: 17 pts, 6 rebs
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Oren Trushkin: 8 pts, 4 steals
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Amitai Azriel: 7 pts, 8 assists, 6 rebs
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Noam Eckstein: 2 pts
Game Flow:
Israel opened the match with intensity; Aviv Aronov dunked off a beautiful pass from Moses and later set up Azriel for an easy layup, putting the team ahead 13:7. Led by 9 points from Moses and solid contributions off the bench, Israel finished the first quarter leading 26:20.
Denmark tightened their defense in the second quarter, holding Israel to just two points in four minutes to take a 30:28 lead. However, Omri Orland ignited a rally, scoring 11 points in just over two minutes to restore Israel's lead by halftime.
At the start of the second half, Oren Trushkin and David Moses extended the lead to 60:48. Rom Stoller capitalized on Israel's excellent defensive pressure, scoring five consecutive points to push the lead to 78:56 by the end of the third quarter. In the final frame, despite a brief Danish comeback attempt, Aviv Aronov scored 10 straight points to seal the 100:86 victory.
