GB U23 3X3 COMPLETE STOP 1 IN POLAND

Great Britain’s men’s and women’s teams competed but fell short on Wednesday at Stop 1 of the FIBA U23 3X3 Nations League in Katowice, Poland.

The men finished fourth on Stop 1 of the FIBA U23 3X3 Nations League, going 1-2 overall.

A narrow loss to a strong Israel side was followed by a solid win over Hungary, culminating in a narrow defeat to hosts Poland.

It was a positive beginning for GB against Israel despite early foul trouble. Louis Grante-Halliday followed Toto Fagbenle’s score for a 2-1 lead.

However, the Israelis, led by Omer Sadeh, responded, taking a 6-3 advantage with three minutes played. Despite the Brits reducing the gap to as little as a point, GB wouldn’t lead again, with Israel taking it 17-13.

Blake Bowman paced Great Britain with six points. Sadeh led all, with eight for Israel.

It was a tough loss to start with, but Great Britain bounced back well by deservedly beating Hungary 17-10.

Bowman was at it again, leading all scorers with nine points, including two doubles, as a 7-1 run in the final three minutes turned the game on its head following a close opening.

That burst gave GB a 12-6 lead, and from there, they had too much for Hungary and comfortably saw out the final buzzer.

Attila Csizmedia led Hungary with five points.

Advancing to the third-placed game, GB – who finished fourth in two of the three opening stops – were determined to get a podium finish on Stop 1.

But Poland had other ideas, as Lukasz Klawa scored the decisive two-pointer with 54 seconds left to hand Great Britain a heartbreaking 21-19 loss.

The loss was particularly harsh given that the Brits had trailed by as many as ten midway through the game.

A 5-0 run narrowed the gap to 15-10 with 4:31 left, and a further 8-1 spurt levelled the game at 19-19 with more than a minute left and momentum with GB.

That drive was stalled by Klawa’s double to seal third for Poland.

For the third straight game, Bowman led with nine points, with Veron Eze adding five.

WOMEN DROP BOTH GAMES BUT LESSONS LEARNED

The women competed and left it all on the floor but fell to fifth on Stop 1, losing both games.

Great Britain lost their opening game 21-12 to hosts Poland, but the scoreline doesn’t reflect the performance.

An early two from Jade Mbam gave her side a 3-1 lead, and GB hung with the hosts for the first three minutes during what was a competitive opening.

But Poland had their run. Despite Great Britain getting good looks at the basket, a 9-2 run handed them a 10-5 lead, and from there, GB couldn’t get closer than six points.

A free throw from Aleksandra Pszczolarska with 1:03 left sealed the win for the Poles.

Mbam had two doubles for her five points to lead the Brits.

Unfortunately, in their next game, GB faced an experienced, strong, and determined Czechia side that was firing on all cylinders.

Louisa Gibbins scored the only point for Great Britain, but a lesson learned and experience gained from their 22-1 loss.