GB U18 Women’s qualified for the Quarter Finals of the FIBA U18 Women’s EuroBasket Division B last week, having one three of their four Group Stage matches.

GB enjoyed an immensely successful start to their EuroBasket campaign, with their only loss coming in heartbreaking fashion against Croatia, where they were defeated by a single point.

The U18s went on to storm Group D, winning their next three games, including a massacre of Norway, 90-36.

Athena Thompson in action against Croatia

Quarter Finals: Lithuania VS Great Britain

GB’s Group Stage performance qualified GB for the Quarter Finals of the competition, where they faced highly-rated Lithuania.

After a cagey start, Bo Guttormsdottir Frost kicked off the scoring with a step-back three-pointer. Bo’s range from deep catalysed GB’s strong Group Stage performance, and continued to drive their offence into the Knockout Rounds.

Guttormsdottir Frost was GB’s sole scorer with three and a half minutes left in the quarter, when Athena Thompson splashed in a three of her own. By this stage, Lithuania had taken a 10-8 lead thanks to a strong start from Lithuanian small forward Gabija Galvanauskaite.

Galvanauskaite finished the first quarter with 10 of Lithuania’s 19 points, giving them a commanding 19-10 lead.

GB battled back in the second, beginning the period with a flurry of scoring from Fleur Gamal, Irene Oboavwoduo, and Thompson. Despite a clunky period from both sides, Thompson led GB into the break level at 29-29, with some nice fastbreak finishing and an above-the-break three with seconds to spare.

Irene Oboavwoduo drives the ball against Lithuania

The third quarter was highly contested, with Thompson once again leading the way for GB. After some quality work from Oboavwoduo and a tough turnaround jumpshot from Emma Briggs, GB led by five with less than three minutes in the quarter.

However, Lithuania piled the pressure back on, and with Ugne Viscinyte’s bucket, they were up 45-42 going into the final period.

GB were unable to remain in step in the fourth. Thompson started the quarter well, knocking down a shot from beyond the arc.

But foul trouble and stiff Lithuanian defence locked GB out, with Karolina Draksaite converting five free throws to see out the match.

Final Score: LTU 63 / GBR 54

You can watch a replay of the full game below.

Estonia VS Great Britain

Having lost in the Quarter Finals, GB dropped into the 5th-8th place Classification Stage. Their first fixture would be against Ethiopia. If they won, they would play the winner of the Netherlands VS Iceland for fifth place in the competition.

Estonia came into this match on fine form. They won all four of their Group Stage games, and narrowly lost to Sweden in the Quarter Finals 70-73.

Despite Estonia’s confidence, GB produced a truly dominant display.

GB once again began the scoring with a Guttormsdottir Frost three-pointer, followed up by a well-placed floater.

Estonia remained in step early, working their way into the paint consistently to find scorers such as Laura Grunmann.

Nevertheless, GB managed to secure a promising 12-20 lead through Eva-Grace Yebila and Ayla Habbal’s quality offensive work.

GB exploded in the second quarter, scoring 19 points to Estonia’s nine, and practically securing the win already. From then on, they refused to let up, winning by an impressive 29-point margin.

Guttormsdottir Frost made all seven of her shots against Estonia

Guttormsdottir Frost stood out in this one, converting on all of her shots and scoring 17 points. Yebil and Haley Wright also had impactful games, scoring 13 and 12 points, respectively.

Final Score: EST 47 / GBR 76

Click here to watch the full game:

Iceland VS Great Britain

GB’s win over Estonia saw them reach the 5th-6th Classification Game against Iceland.

Iceland endured a mixed start to their EuroBasket campaign, having been drawn into perhaps the most challenging group in the competition. They won three of their five group games, suffering defeat against Lithuania in their opening match and in a close game against Azerbaijan.

Iceland faced Croatia in the Quarter Finals, losing by just three points after Kolbrun Armannsdottir knocked down a three-pointer, cutting the Croatian lead.

In their 5th-8th Classification Match, Iceland dominated the Netherlands, winning 58-83, and earning the right to face GB for fifth place.

It was right into the action in this match, with Thompson and Armannsdottir scoring three-pointers at each end. GB came out on top after the initial skirmish, after another three from Thompson, and scores from Oboavwoduo and Holly Ensoll gave them a sizeable 4-13 lead.

Iceland came charging back through Rebekka Steingrimsdottir, who repeatedly attacked the rim on the break and in the half-court.

The game refused to slow down, despite Briggs craftily working her way into the paint and securing free throws on multiple occasions. Armannsdottir maintained the pressure, and after a three from Johanna Agustsdottir, Iceland finished a frenetic first quarter up 24-21.

The start of the second quarter saw the relentless energy of the match somewhat dissipate as both teams settled into the game. It took GB three minutes to find their first score from an Oboavwoduo three, which was quickly followed by another three by Wright.

Both teams remained in lock step towards the end of the quarter, with Thompson finding ways to score as GB’s offence bogged down. GB finished the half with a precarious two-point lead.

Emma Briggs scored 10 points against Iceland

There remained little to separate the two sides going into the second half. Fleur Gamal scored the first shot of the second period, before Oboavwoduo once again got on the scoreboard with a midrange jump-shot, continuing her strong performance.

The pace had completely collapsed, however. In what seemed like a totally different match, both teams struggled to create open looks, with GB scoring just eight points in the quarter, and Iceland just 12. GB found some success through Oboavwoduo and Briggs, but relied on their defensive pressure to keep the game tight.

Iceland shifted focus for the final period, attacking the paint relentlessly, working off their defence to get out and run. They enjoyed a successful period as a result, with Hulda Agnarsdottir capitalising on this new pace.

GB relied on Thompson, their best player throughout the tournament, again, as they struggled to find consistent offence. Thompson’s ability to score at all three levels had proved an integral tool for GB all tournament, and she once more showed why she is one of the strongest players at this tournament.

With three minutes to go, GB trailed Iceland by just three points courtesy of another fastbreak score from Oboavwoduo.

However, Iceland’s defence dug in, and despite Thompson’s heroics, GB were unable to overcome the deficit.

Final Score: ISL 62 / GBR 56

Click here to watch the full match:

With that, GB finished 6th in the FIBA U18 Women’s EuroBasket 2025. Having finished in the same place at last year’s competition, GB will feel confident in their ability to maintain their level despite a changing squad.

Athena Thompson finished sixth in points per game across the tournament (minimum two games played), scoring 18.1 points and adding four rebounds and 2.4 assists each match. Her breakout was a highlight for GB despite successes across the board.

This success extended to GB’s sharpshooter Bo Guttormsdottir Frost, who notched the third-highest three-point percentage (minimum two games played) at a tremendous 45.5%, making fifteen throughout the competition.

Thompson was GB's best player across the competition

To watch more of GB Women’s youth team’s exploits, tune in to the European Youth Olympic Festival, where GB have sent some of their U18 team to compete in the 3x3 tournament.

Oboavwoduo, Guttormsdottir Frost, Haley Wright, Massey Keyes, Fleur Gamal, and Tiarna Chambers-Desmond will all feature in Skopje, in North Macedonia, this week, having played significant roles in GB’s efforts at the EuroBasket.