The German U18 national team has gotten off to a successful start at the European Championship. In Trento, Italy, the team led by national youth coach Alan Ibrahimagic struggled for half the game against underdog Bulgaria but ultimately celebrated a comfortable 104–58 victory.
The German juniors allowed just three points in the third quarter of their European Championship opener in Trentino (15 in the second half), which laid the foundation for their commanding victory over Bulgaria. Six players scored in double digits, and only Lucai Anderson (7 points, 2-for-9 FG, 6 assists) played more than 20 minutes, allowing the team to conserve energy for the rest of the tournament.
The top scorer was Dusan Ilic with 18 points and six assists; Fabian Kayser (10, 7 rebounds) and Paul Plato (14) also stood out. As a team, Germany made just under half of its shots and a solid 38 percent from the three-point line (11/29).
Bulgaria led for much of the first quarter before the German bench gradually shifted the momentum in favor of Ibrahimagic’s team. Anton Kemmer (14 points, 8 rebounds) scored eight straight points in the second quarter, including two three-pointers. Together with Marko Petric (11, 4 steals), the Berlin native was the standout player of the first half, which Germany ultimately won 49–43.
DBB Juniors Allow Just 15 Points After the Break
The German team dominated the offensive boards in particular, with Leonard Kröger (10 points, 11 rebounds) of second-division club Paderborn earning top marks. In addition, the DBB team was dangerous whenever it forced turnovers. Anderson capitalized on this a few times, and the lead grew slowly but steadily. In fact, the Germans allowed the Bulgarians just three points in the third quarter while scoring 26 themselves, many of them on fast breaks.
After that, the youngsters took it a bit easier, which was perfectly understandable. Nevertheless, they still broke the 100-point mark; Fin Borczanowski (2, 1/8, 9 rebounds) did so with his only points on a thunderous dunk.
The DBB juniors are back in action as early as tomorrow, Sunday, but they’ll face a much tougher challenge in Slovenia and super-talent Stefan Joksimovic (Baskonia). The game tips off at 1 p.m.; the group stage will conclude a day later against Lithuania (Monday, 6 p.m.). All teams will then advance to the Round of 16, where Germany will face an opponent from the strong Group D—Spain, Italy, Latvia, or Estonia.