GB’s U16 Women’s team arrived in Pitesti, Romania, for the FIBA U16 Women’s EuroBasket Division A.

Last year spelt success for GB, who finished third in the Division B edition of the competition, earning promotion to Division A this summer.

With a host of the stars of last year’s triumph still in the squad, including Neve Rugette, Anya Scruton, Ophelia Larder-Lee, Caoimhe Stupart, and Mojan Malek, GB had the chance to test themselves against the elite of international basketball.

This test would come immediately as GB were drawn into Group A alongside eventual tournament winners Spain, runners-up Slovenia, and semi-finalists Latvia.

GB’s first game against Spain is as difficult a challenge as any in international basketball.

Spain are one of the most talented basketballing nations in Europe, and a relentless producer of elite young talent.

GB earned the opportunity to face these juggernauts, but their artistic ball-movement and brutal efficiency were on full display in this EuroBasket opener.

Isabel Hernandez, who won tournament MVP, led all scorers with 17 points, as well as dishing six assists and snatching five steals.

Spain had five different double-digit scorers in what was a full-throttle offensive display.

GB’s Isey Guttormsdottir-Frost and Mojan Malek notched 10 and nine points, respectively, but Spain’s overwhelming talent was ultimately too much for them to overcome.

Malek scored 12.7 points per game in the tournament, second on the team

Final Score: GBR 38 / ESP 102

See below for the full game replay on the FIBA YouTube channel.

Guttormsdottir-Frost’s remarkable performance in GB’s next group game against Slovenia will live long in the memory of the GB faithful.

Slovenia are, much like Spain, a highly talented basketballing nation and a consistent factory of young talent.

Nevertheless, Guttormsdottir-Frost, sister of the prolific Bo, who featured for GB in the U18 EuroBasket and European Youth Olympic Festival this summer, starred in this one.

Isey scored 25 points, grabbed seven rebounds, and added two assists and three steals, dominating at every level and on both sides of the ball.

Malek’s 10 points and seven rebounds further boosted GB to an eight-point lead at the end of the third quarter.

Unfortunately for GB, Veronika Ferjancic enjoyed a searing fourth quarter, making all of her seven field goals across the entire match, as well as dominating the glass with 14 rebounds and three blocks, and leading her nation to a 20-7 fourth quarter run.

Although this meant GB would lose by just five points, such a strong performance against a tournament favourite and the eventual runners-up demonstrated the quality within the squad.

GB fans out in full force here in Pitesti, Romania

Final Score: SLO 60 / GBR 55

You can watch Isey’s stellar performance on the FIBA YouTube below:

The downside to earning promotion to Division A of the EuroBasket last year for GB was that, having already faced Spain and Slovenia, they would now have to take on Latvia to round out their group.

Latvia would finish the tournament in fourth place, reaching the semi-finals of the competition. Sindija Sondore was named in the competition’s All-Star Five for her incredible scoring performances, and the match against GB proved no exception.

Sondore tallied 25 points and seven rebounds for Latvia, whilst Jelizaveta Naidjonova added 19 points, four rebounds, three assists, two steals, and a block.

Guttormsdottir-Frost and Malek had 17 and 14 points each, respectively, whilst Neve Rugette, currently playing her high-school basketball for Loomis Chaffee School in Windsor, Connecticut, assembled a strong defensive display, marked by her three steals.

GB would eventually lose their final match of Group A, but can be proud of their performances against three of the best teams they will ever face.

Head Coach MacDonald coaching at her second consecutive U16 Women's EuroBasket

Final Score GBR 52 / LAT 97

You can see the full game replay below:

After finishing the group stage in fourth place, GB progressed to the round of 16 to face a high-functioning Poland team that won all three of their matches in Group B.

Led by Head Coach Anna Talarczyk, Poland found success through a team-oriented style of offence and a hard-nosed defensive structure. Come the end of the tournament, Hannah Bowes, Poland’s leading scorer, averaged just 10.7 points per game.

Against GB, however, it was Iga Jasik and Maria Wrobel who took charge of proceedings, scoring 16 points each, whilst point guard Nicola Brzeska provided eight rebounds and six assists, conducting their balanced attack.

For GB, Malek led the way in scoring with 18, alongside seven rebounds.

Edith Boniface also put together a fine game, getting to the free throw line at will to tally 10 points, adding four rebounds and two steals.

Poland’s defence was stifling throughout, whilst their first quarter scoring set them ahead and out of reach throughout, pushing GB into the classification stages of the tournament, and in the fight against relegation.

Guttormsdottir-Frost led GB in scoring with 17.1 points per game

Final Score: POL 88 / GBR 60

See below for the full replay of the game on the FIBA YouTube channel:

Romania endured a mixed start to the EuroBasket, beating Belgium in their group but falling to France and Serbia.

They lost to eventual third-place finishers Germany in the round of 16, and proved a difficult challenge for GB, off the back of a grueling match against Poland.

Malek and Guttormsdottir-Frost again represented GB’s primary offensive outlets, with the former notching 14 points, seven rebounds, and a staggering four steals. Isey scored 11, including earning four separate trips to the charity stripe.

Katie Hancock, 6’0” forward for the Sheffield Hatters, produced a strong defensive showing, including a fine rebounding display with six in total.

Unfortunately for GB, they came up against Ioana-Vanessa Velcea in an aggressive and relentless mood. The point guard scored a staggering 28 points, whilst providing four rebounds, four assists, and five steals.

Power forward Stefania Tudor further dominated on the rebounding front, grabbing 16 in total to control the glass for Romania.

Their performances carried Romania through despite GB’s quality defensive efforts.

Rugette led GB on the defensive end

Final Score: GBR 45 / ROU 74

To watch the full game review, see the FIBA YouTube channel below:

Moving into the 13th-16th classification game, every moment achieved a new significance for GB. In Division A of the U16 Women’s EuroBasket, the bottom three-placed teams, from 14th to 16th, would face relegation back to Division B.

Therefore, GB had to win their next two games in order to stave off demotion.

In their way, a strong Finnish side.

Finland won their first game of the tournament against the Czech Republic, but then lost their next four games against Poland, Hungary, Slovenia, and Israel.

Ida Riihijarvi led all scorers in the match with 24 points, six rebounds, and two assists.

GB, however, held a firm grip on the game throughout, never relinquishing the lead.

Malek and Guttormsdottir-Frost’s partnership continued to bear fruit. The former had 18 points, seven rebounds, and a ridiculous six steals, whilst the latter had 17 points and five rebounds, fighting her way to the free throw line for 18 attempts.

Rugette enjoyed one of her strongest performances with 11 points, whilst Ophelia Larder-Lee, in her second U16 EuroBasket, had a team-high +/- 18, meaning GB outscored Finland by 18 points with her on the floor.

GB showed out in the first appearance in Division A of the U16 Women's EuroBasket

Final Score: FIN 66/ GBR 74

To watch GB’s win, see the full game below on FIBA’s YouTube channel:

GB’s final game of the EuroBasket against the Czech Republic would be the decider. Win, and GB would get another chance in the top flight of European basketball. Lose, and they would be demoted back to Division B.

Guttormsdottir-Frost put on a heroic performance, scoring a mesmerising 29 points, grabbing five rebounds, providing two assists, as well as a block and a steal.

Bella Rodgers of the Sports City Angels in Ohio, USA, added 11 rebounds and seven points in this final showdown.

However, despite holding fast through the first three quarters, the Czech Republic pulled away in the fourth quarter thanks to a 22-point effort from Dominika Pencakova, as well as double-digit performances from Ema Novakova, Ema Bartosova, and Linda Kotrcova.

The strong team performance across the board gave the Czech Republic a nine-point lead come the final whistle, finishing the tournament for GB in defeat.

Ophelia Larder-Lee in her second U16 Women's EuroBasket

Final Score: CZE 69 / GBR 60

Watch the full game on the FIBA YouTube channel below:

Whilst defeat in their final match meant GB will be playing in Division B of the U16 Women’s EuroBasket next season, they produced some memorable performances, clearly proving they belong amongst the elite of the competition.

Despite facing the toughest group in the tournament, they remained competitive across the board, and in the end, a slow fourth quarter was the difference between relegation and safety.

GB will take confidence in the performances of young phenoms Malek and Guttormsdottir-Frost, who will no doubt lead the team in their efforts to achieve promotion next year.

Guttormsdottir-Frost finished third in average scoring across the competition, with 17.1 points per game, and at just 15 years of age, the future looks extremely bright.