Israel’s national under-20 basketball team defeated Spain, winning the second consecutive European Championship.
By Arye Green, TPS
The Israeli national under-20 (U20) basketball team on Sunday night beat the Spanish team 92:84, winning the European Championship for the second year in a row.
Last year, Israel’s youth team won the Championship for the first time in its history and successfully defended its title this year.
Ariel Beit Halachmi’s group dominated the court throughout the game. The enthusiastic crowd, 3,400 courtside, and hundreds of thousands at home cheered on the team, supporting the effort.
The MVP of the game, Deni Avdija, led the team with incredible stats: 23 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds, and 3 blocks. Avdija, the star of the team throughout the tournament, was signed up by the Maccabi Tel Aviv professional team and is considered to have good chances of being picked in the NBA draft.
Yam Madar also had an excellent game, scoring 17 points and 8 assists in the victory.
The Israeli team hosted the championship in Tel-Aviv, after winning last year. The championship featured many tight games, and the fans enjoyed an excellent show of basketball throughout the season.
The Youth team advanced to this year’s championship final after its 81-70 victory over France on Saturday. In the earlier stages, they beat top European teams such as Lithuania (94-78), Montenegro (88-69), Ukraine (93-74) and Italy (85-75).