GB’s dynamic guard Maxx Tjongondjoza showed out for GB as they ran out to a 76-88 victory against North Macedonia to complete their FIBA U16 Men’s EuroBasket Division B campaign.

His 31-point masterclass capped off a challenging tournament for Head Coach Liam Jefferson’s side, which finished 15th overall.

Having finished in fourth place in Group A, GB moved on to the classification stage, where they would take on Ireland and Hungary, before facing the hosts, North Macedonia, to close out their time in Skopje.

GB began their classification efforts against Ireland, who finished third in Group B, thanks to impressive victories over Slovakia, North Macedonia, and Cyprus.

Ziah Francis opened the scoring after grabbing the offensive rebound, helping GB to an early lead, buoyed by the indomitable Oliver Bishop and a three from Tjongondjoza.

Elijah Imevbore’s aggressive work in the paint towards the end of the first quarter meant GB ended the period with a six-point lead.

Ireland dominated the second quarter, with Aidan McGrath finding his way to the rim and Fryderyk Klimas splashing in two threes.

This trend continued into the second half, as Kilmas and McGrath bombarded GB both inside and out. Francis and Bishop executed their pick-and-roll well, finding success with Bishop on the cut and Francis on the perimeter, but Ireland extended their lead to 12 going into the fourth.

A couple of threes from Tjongondjoza kept GB competitive, but McGrath’s quality performance, in which he recorded 28 points, 17 rebounds, and five steals, along with Kilmas’s 18 points and six rebounds, proved too much for GB to overcome.

Rufus Wilkinson grabbed 11 rebounds for GB against Ireland

Final Score: IRL 68 / GBR 58

You can watch the full replay of GB’s game against Ireland here, on the FIBA YouTube channel.

GB’s loss to Ireland moved them on to the 13th-16th classification game of the tournament, where they would take on Hungary.

Hungary won their opening two matches against the Czech Republic and Norway, but lost their next two group games to Belgium and Bulgaria, finishing fourth overall.

They endured a nail-biter against Denmark in their first classification game in which the Danes overcame a 13-point fourth-quarter deficit to win the match 85-84, and progressed to face GB in the penultimate round of the competition.

Hungary came out firing to start the game, with Noel Inalegwu attacking the basket on the fastbreak and Levente Marokhazi cashing in from three on multiple occasions.

GB clawed back to a single-digit deficit in the second quarter through Rufus Wilkinson’s crafty mid-range scoring and a late three from Kimbe N'Gabala, but still faced a steep climb going into the second half.

Nevertheless, they made light work of their comeback, with Coach Jefferson’s team executing well on both the offensive and defensive ends.

GB’s shift point guard Josh Mboura worked his way to the free throw line on multiple occasions, as well as dropping in a three, whilst Bishop continued to rack up the points.

Going into the fourth, the game was tied at 48-48, as GB had overturned a 12-point lead.

Hungary’s Vince Gaspar put on a clinic in the final period, scoring from all three levels to boost his nation ahead. GB kept in step after a couple of quick scores from Bishop and Tjongondjoza, but Gaspar’s four points in the final minute secured the win for Hungary.

Oliver Bishop led the way for GB in their narrow defeat, enjoying a highly efficient performance. He connected on all nine of his field goals, scoring 19 points, grabbing eight rebounds, and notching four blocks.

Coach Jefferson in action against Hungary

Final Score: GBR 61 / HUN 68

You can watch the full game below:

GB’s final game against North Macedonia – a play-off for 15th place – was all about Maxx Tjongondjoza.

The 6’8” guard scored an outstanding 31 points, missing on just four attempts. He knocked down seven threes in the process, adding six rebounds, two assists, three steals, and a block in a box-score stuffing performance.

His accurate shooting left no answer for the hosts, who simply couldn’t match his scoring prowess.

Throw in Wilkinson’s impressive seven-point, 13-rebound display, and Francis’s 14-point effort, and GB were clear frontrunners throughout.

Dion Shabani was the standout performer for North Macedonia, scoring 21 points in front of a home crowd, but Tjongondjoza’s explosive game was the key storyline throughout, winning 15th place for GB.

Maxx Tjongondjoza knocked down seven threes in GB's win over the hosts North Macedonia

Final Score: MKD 76 / GBR 88

You can watch Maxx’s incredible performance in its entirety on the FIBA YouTube channel below.

Despite not finishing as high as they would have liked, Coach Jefferson will be proud of his side’s development and the outstanding performance of some of his stars.

Oliver Bishop announced himself on the international stage, finishing fourth in points per game across the entire tournament, with 17.7, making three-quarters of his three-point attempts, and finishing eighth overall in rebounds with 9.7 a game.

Maxx Tjongondjoza and Ziah Francis also had stand-out tournaments, contributing their dynamism and scoring flair in every performance.