Israel youth basketball team aiming for 2nd straight European title

Competing on home soil, squad to face Spain in finals of 2019 FIBA U-20 European Championship after beating France in semis

Israel’s national under-20 basketball team is looking to win the FIBA European Championships for a second year in a row when it faces off against Spain on Sunday evening in Tel Aviv, where the tournament is being hosted.

The youth squad has now been in the finals for three consecutive years, with 2018 marking the first time it ever won the championship, held that year in Germany. In 2017 the team made it to the finals but were beaten by Greece.

The Israeli team secured its spot in this year’s championship with its 81-70 victory over France on Saturday. Deni Avdija, who is leading Israel’s scoring in the tournament, put in a game-high 26 points for the Blue and Whites.

Spain, which is undefeated so far, beat Germany 80-62 to punch its ticket to the title game.

The Israeli squad should get a boost in the finals from the home crowd, as the tournament is being held at the Shlomo Group Arena in Tel Aviv.

Avdija is a rising star of Israeli basketball and in 2017 was signed up by the Maccabi Tel Aviv professional team.

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