U18 FC Barcelona is the new adidas NextGen EuroLeague champion after edging out eternal rival U18 Real Madrid, 77-85, in a closely contested thriller at Telekom Center Athens on Sunday.
In a game played as the curtain-raiser to the EuroLeague Championship Game for the very first time, neither team led ever by more than 5 points until Barca’s added physicality proved decisive in the closing possessions. The Blaugrana claimed the title for the second time, and the first in ten years.
Nikola Kusturica was the chief inspiration, returning from injury to lead his team with a double-double of 20 points and 10 rebounds. Joaquim Boumtje-Boumtje added 17 points, while Jakob Siftar and Mohamed Dabone both scored 10. Egor Amosov paced Real with 16 points, Fabian Kaiser scored 14, Gunars Grinvalds netted 13 and Ilia Frolov contributed 11.
Three-pointers from Kusturica and Diego Ferreras gave Barca the early advantage, but 6 fast points from Grinvalds brought Real level, 8-8. Kayser and Kusturica traded triples to keep it close, before Siftar stepped up with 5 points, but Andrej Bjelic hit back from deep to help make it 22-24 after ten minutes.
Ousmane Diarra started the second quarter with a highlight reel dunk, but Boumtje-Boumtje answered with his first score to edge Barca back in front. Siftar stayed hot with a pair of close-range finishes, but Amosov’s three and Osa Hadi’s fastbreak layup in a 9-0 run sent Real back ahead, 36-31. Nil Poza’s triple changed the momentum, and Kusturica’s putback made it 38-39 at the break.
Amosov opened the second half hot with a threeball and a layup, but close-range scores from Dabone and Kusturica forced another tie, 43-43. Poza hit his second triple and Mohamed Keita scored 5 fast points for a 47-51 lead, before a long-range barrage from Amosov, Frolov, Bjelic and Boumtje-Boumtje gave Real a small advantage, 62-60, at the end of the third.
A low-scoring start to the final period led to Amosov’s three-point play immediately being bettered by 5 points for Kusturica, making it 67-68 heading into the final five minutes. Boumtje-Boumtje and Grinvalds traded three-point strikes, before Ferreras scored at the rim for a 72-77 advantage. Kusturica protected the lead from the foul line, but Kayser kept Real hoping with a three, 77-79. Ferreras added a layup, and Barca’s defense did the rest.