Australian U/19 Emus finish sixth at World Championships
The Emus have finished sixth overall at the 2011 FIBA U19 World Championship, after falling to the USA in a nail-biting contest, 78-77.
After leading for the much of the contest, the Aussies slipped behind by as many as seven points in the final term, before fighting back late.
When Hugh Greenwood found Anthony Drmic for two with 45 seconds to play, the game looked to be going the way of the Emus.
The Americans weren’t done however, and with eight seconds on the clock, Jeremy Lamb rebounded and connected on the two, the Aussies finding themselves in a timeout and trailing by one.
With possession of the ball and one last chance to steal the win, the ball found its way into the hands of Emus captain Greenwood on the perimeter, who spotted up for the three.
The shot didn’t fall, handing USA the win and fifth place.
For the Emus, Greenwood finished with 26 points in a dominant display, while Mitch Creek added 11 points and nine rebounds. Jackson Aldridge also had 11 points.
Both sides were reasonably even right across the floor, from the glass, to the field. The Aussies were just unable to hold on to their slender lead and convert in the dying moments.
Although heart-breaking for the team, it perhaps sums up a tournament of what might have been for the talented young guns – good enough for most of the proceedings, but just coming up short in pivotal moments.
What is certain is that the future of Australian men’s basketball is bright, the talent strong, and the ultimate success not far away.
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