Division A: Greece Erases an 11-Point Deficit to Stun Serbia in a One-Point Classic

Eight teams reached the quarterfinals of the FIBA U18 EuroBasket on July 29, 2026, and none of it compared to what happened in Rovereto, where Greece trailed by 11 in the second quarter and still found a way to win by one. Serbia had built an eight-point halftime cushion and looked comfortably in control, but Greece chipped away all night, tied it briefly late in the third, and finally grabbed the lead for good on a Dimitrios Poulos (188-PG-2008) floater with seven minutes left part of a stretch where Greece outscored Serbia 15-5 while holding the Serbians to 2-of-12 shooting. Chrysostomos Chatzilamprou (200-F-2008) led the way with 21 points and eight rebounds without a single turnover, and Poulos added 16, but it was Nikola Karalic (202-G/F-2008)'s 17 points and six assists that nearly dragged Serbia across the finish line his team simply ran out of possessions in a game with eight lead changes and a final margin of exactly one point.
Israel produced the day's most complete individual performance in a 100-86 win over Denmark, with David Musis (208-C-2008, agency: Octagon Europe) posting a 23-point, 17-rebound double-double and Aviv Aronov (194-F-2008) adding 22 points and eight rebounds of his own; Israel broke the game open with a 20-7 run spanning the second and third quarters after Denmark had briefly tied it. Slovenia needed a similar late push against Latvia, who erased a 12-point deficit and actually led in the third quarter before Slovenia regained control for good with under six minutes left Stefan Joksimovic (194-F-2008) scored a game-high 30 points on 10-of-17 shooting to seal it, 86-76.
Everything else was more straightforward, though not always easy. France trailed by one with under four minutes left before closing on a 16-5 run to beat Slovakia 72-60, with Hugo Yimga-Moukouri (205-SF-2008) scoring 21 and going 9-of-10 from the line; Lukas Kubala (205-PF-2008)'s 18 points weren't enough for the Slovaks. Germany pulled away in the third quarter to beat Estonia 85-71 behind Leonard Kroger (205-C-2008)'s perfect 4-of-4 shooting and three highlight dunks. Italy never trailed after the opening minutes in an 83-71 win over Lithuania, with Thomas Acunzo (207-C-2008) posting a double-double and Papa Niang (196-G-2008) adding 19; Ignas Stombergas (198-F-2008) countered with 21 for the Lithuanians. Spain routed Bulgaria 99-66 behind matching 18-point nights from Gerard Fernandez (185-G-2008) and Diego Niebla (202-F-2008), and Turkiye controlled Austria from start to finish in a 90-64 win, with Erdinc Koyun (205-F-2008, agency: BIG) scoring 15 and Ruzgar Fenemen (186-PG-2008) dishing nine assists.