Bertans VBS and NKA punch their tickets to the SuperCup in Valmiera

The 2026/27 Baltic Basketball League U16 season kicked off with a bang over the weekend in Valmiera, Latvia, as the opening stage doubled as the SuperCup Qualifier. Bertans VBS and NKA emerged as the two path winners from the 16-team field, securing their places at the BBBL SuperCup in Riga on November 27-29.

Path 1 Final: Bertans VBS 69, East-Ball 46
Bertans VBS pulled away in the third quarter, outscoring East-Ball 19-8 in that frame to take firm control after a tight opening half, and closed out a 69-46 win to claim the Path 1 title. Jekabs Liepa) led all scorers with 17 points, while Emils Kaufmanis) and Marko Melderis) each added 11. Eduards Veveris chipped in 10 points for the winners. Otto Daugavietis) paced East-Ball with 17 points, but the team could not carry over the momentum from its dramatic overtime win over Snaiperis earlier in the tournament the latest chapter in a rivalry in which the two sides have now gone to overtime in all three of their recent meetings.

Path 2 Final: NKA 82, Jelgavas BJSS 49
NKA was in control from the outset, building on an 8-point first-quarter edge and pulling away with a 23-10 third quarter en route to an 82-49 victory over Jelgavas BJSS. Augustinas Kanisauskas) led NKA with 15 points, while Lukas Valauskis) added 14 and Tadas Gabrielaitis) contributed 11. Ralfs Jansons) topped Jelgavas BJSS with 12 points as the team could not sustain the form that carried it past a strongly fancied Siauliai side in the semifinals.
Bertans VBS and NKA now turn their attention to the BBBL SuperCup in Riga, while the rest of the U16 field regroups for the next stage of the season, set for November 13-15 in Riga and Kaunas.