U18 Belgian Lions start off their European Championship with impressive win

At the U18 European Championship (Div. A) in Tampere, Finland, our U18 Belgian Lions got off to an excellent start, overpowering Croatia on their way to a 87-71 victory.

Belgium got off to an iffy start of the game though and saw Croatia open up with a 2-11 run before our boys got into their rhythm and under guidance by an excellent Corentin Efono quickly turned things around for the 17-13 score at the end of the opening quarter. In the second quarter Efono continued his strong play and got support from Jayden Hodge to cruise to a 46-30 lead at the half.

Croatia came out the break with renewed energy and thanks to a couple of threes were able to significantly reduce the deficit with a 2-10 run, forcing coach Michiels into a Timeout. The timeout succesfully broke Croatia’s momentum and when Letto Van Drom got hot from behind the arc for Belgium the lead increased again to 65-48, headed into the final quarter. Hodge, Van Drom and Oskar Giltay – who had played limited minutes up to now due to foul issues – kept Belgium firmly in the lead for the 87-71 final score.

Hodge finished as the lead-scorer for Belgium with his 20 pts and also added 7 rebs & 4 asts. Van Drom added 18 pts, shooting 4/6 from behind the arc, along with 5 steals. Efono also scored 18 pts, adding 9 rebs & 5 asts, while Giltay finished with 10 pts, 8 rebs & 4 blocks in only 17 minutes.

Tomorrow our U18 Lions will face Turkey.