Mission accomplished: Israel's youth national team returns to European Division A

The Israeli youth national basketball team completed its mission this evening (Saturday) at the European Championship Division B: the blue-and-whites defeated Austria 78:63 in the semi-finals, securing their return to Division A after only one year.

Tomorrow at 21:00, the team will look to cap off a successful tournament by winning the gold medal against the host nation, Romania, in a final that will be for protocol only.

Israel had to work hard against Austria, especially in the first half. The opponent presented a tough defense, but the players in blue-and-white kept their cool and eventually managed to open a significant gap.

Israel started the game at a high pace. A three-pointer by Maayan Gorin put the team up 7:5, but Austria used its advantage in offensive rebounds to take a 14:9 lead. The Israelis were not alarmed: a virtuoso basket by Rotem Shtikler, the outstanding player of the game, completed an 8:0 run, and Israel went into the break with a 17:14 lead.

The second quarter remained competitive. Maya Zilbershlag and Gorin increased the lead to six points, but the Austrians fought back to equalize at 28:28. Before the halftime break, a three-pointer by Zilbershlag set the score at 36:33 for Israel.

Austria started the second half stronger with a 6:0 run to take a 40:38 lead. However, Israel soon regained control. Seven consecutive points from Shtikler gave Israel a 54:46 lead—its highest at that stage. Tamar Karmi and Gorin continued the push, and Israel finished the third quarter leading 60:51.

In the final quarter, there was no real drama. Shtikler crossed the 20-point mark, and a three-pointer by Gorin extended the lead to 17 points (70:53). From there, the team controlled the game until the buzzer to celebrate their long-awaited promotion to Division A.

Scoring for Israel:

• Maya Zilbershlag: 23 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists

• Rotem Shtikler: 20 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists

• Maayan Gorin: 17 points

• Tamar Karmi: 10 points, 5 steals

• Or Gadot: 5 points

• Mika Kanitz: 3 points, 7 rebounds