Croatia finishes seventh, better than predicted, for European gold; Slovenes crush Serbs

Croatia secured seventh place in the U-20 European Basketball Championship, exceeding pre-tournament expectations and achieving their primary goal of remaining in Division A. The team, led by coach Petar Babić, finished with four wins and three losses. Their final victory against Germany (91:87) on the last day of the competition in Ljubljana cemented their position. The team had previously secured their spot in Division A by defeating the Czech Republic (93:69) in the round of 16. They narrowly missed a top-six finish, losing a close match to Turkey (72:73). Despite missing several key centers, including Ružić, Jurić, and Marić, the Croatian squad showed significant improvement, particularly from their centers in the final game, who collectively scored 28 points. Dominik Dolić led the team with 23 points and 5 assists, while Filip Majdak contributed 18 points and 7 rebounds, earning him the most valuable player award for the match. Meanwhile, Slovenia dominated Serbia (84:65) in the final to claim the gold medal, playing in front of 8,000 spectators. Spain secured the bronze medal by defeating France (65:54). Slovenia's victory highlights a talented 2006 age group, which also won bronze medals at the U-18 European Championship and U-19 World Championship.