Scotland cruised into the final then ran into a road-block as they finished second at the Under 16 Men European Championships, Division C, in Andorra.

Having won their first four games by an average of 26 points, including a 71-52 semi-final win over San Marino, Scotland was on the receiving end in the final, losing 74-30 to a Cyprus team that dominated the tournament.

In the semi-final Scotland employed their tough man-to-man defence to good effect, holding San Marino to 24% shooting and gaining a 62-38 advantage in rebounding.

Josh McGilvray was outstanding in leading Scotland’s effort with 17 rebounds to go with 10 points (4/7 shots), 2 steals and 2 blocks.

Matthew Wilcox lead Scotland’s scoring with 18 points (6/13 shots), along with 6 rebounds in only 17 minutes of court-time.

Jack Nicholson provided 14 points (6/9 shots) and 7 rebounds while Scott Rooney scored 12 points (5/11 shots) with 9 rebounds and 3 steals.

The final was a different story as Cyprus started and finished very strongly to gain their advantage over Scotland mostly in the first and fourth quarters.

Scotland were competitive in between but the quality of Cyprus came through as they forced Scotland into 37 turnovers and 23% shooting.

A difficult end to what was nonetheless a good tournament for Scotland as they took great strides both on and off the court.

Congratulations to Michael Secker, Steven Docherty, Sam Stuttard, Neil Rowan, Craig Malcolm, Ryan McKay, Jack Nicholson, Scott Rooney, Matthew Wilcox, Colin McDonald, Chris Savage, Josh McGilvray, Neil Connell, Trudie Hopgood and Colin Haldane.

Scotland’s Under 16 Men head into the semi-finals of the European Championships, Division C, as top qualifiers from their pool after beating Andorra 76-71.

Down by 5 points with 2:40min on the clock, Scottish duo Jack Nicholson and Matthew Wilcox nailed eight straight free throws to propel Scotland to victory over the tournament hosts.

A 4 point half time deficit was turned around by Scotland’s 24-18 third quarter surge only to see Andorra retake the lead before late heroics sealed a memorable win for Scotland.

Superior shooting for Scotland provided the difference as the visitors shot 47% from the field and 70% from the free throw line compared with Andorra’s 38% from the field and 46% from the free throw line.

Ryan McKay

Jack Nicholson provided the offensive spark for Scotland on his way to 26 points (8/15 shots, 10/11 free throws), 5 rebounds and 2 assists in only 24 minutes of court time.

Steven Docherty (photo above) typified Scotland’s team ethic as he stepped up from the bench to score 17 points (7/14 shots) and grab 5 rebounds.

Ryan McKay had a team-high 9 rebounds to go with 8 points (4/10 shots) and 3 steals.

Matthew Wilcox was restricted to 16 minutes court time as he was saddled with 4 fouls but still contributed 11 points (4/4 shots, 3/4 free throws), 2 rebounds and 2 assists.

Scotland now faces San Marino in the semi-final tomorrow (Friday) at 3.13pm GMT.

Game statistics

Scotland rolled into the semi-finals of the Under 16 Men European Championships, Division C, with a 79-46 drubbing of Wales.

A first quarter surge by Scotland, wining the quarter 21-3, set them on their way. Wales held Scotland even in the second quarter but the second half was all Scotland as they cruised to victory.

Pressure man-to-man defence again proved a powerful weapon for Scotland as they held their opponents to 27% shooting and forced them into 34 turnovers.

Scotland shared the ball well as they dished 18 assists from 32 made baskets but will look to reduce their own turnovers down from today’s 36 as the tournament progresses.

Michael Secker shot the lights out on his way to a team-high 15 points (3/6 two-point shots, 3/4 three-point shots) to go with 4 rebounds.

Joshua McGilvray lead Scotland’s effort upfront as he grabbed 12 rebounds along with 14 points (6/11 shots) and 3 steals.

Ryan McKay had an excellent all-round game with 10 points (2/3 two-point shots, 2/3 three-point shots), 7 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 steals.

Scott Rooney was again efficient with 12 points (5/9 shots), 2 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 steals.

Scotland’s next game is against Andorra, the other undefeated team in their pool, on Wednesday 5.30pm GMT.

Game statistics

Scotland kicked off the Under 16 European Championships, Division C, with a win apiece for the women and men over Monaco.

When the men completed their demolition job on Monday afternoon it completed the treble for Scotland after the women recorded a similar thumping and the under 18 men scored a significant win over Portugal at Division B.

Scotland’s under 16 Women used a quick start and a stunning finish to beat Monaco 66-37 after winning the first quarter 19-6 and the fourth quarter 21-1.

Defensive pressure and team hustle were the weapons of choice for the Scotland women as they hounded Monaco into giving up 27 steals while also out rebounding them 65-38.

Claire Paxton was all over the court as she contributed 13 points (4/10 shots, 5/6 free throws), 17 rebounds and 5 steals.

Sarah Thomson also provided an all-round performance with 13 points (5/15 shots), 8 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 assists.

Beth Mackie top scored with 16 points (7/16 shots), while also chipping in 2 rebounds and 2 steals.

Meanwhile, the under 16 men began their tournament campaign with a crushing 81-33 victory over Monaco.

The men used their defensive strategy to good effect as they held Monaco to 20% shooting, out rebounded their opponent 60-32, blocked 7 shots and forced 34 turnovers.

Jack Nicholson led Scotland’s scoring effort with 19 points (9/18 shots) together with 7 rebounds.

Scott Ronney was very efficient in contributing 12 points (6/9 shots) and 8 rebounds in 17 minutes of action.

Ryan McKay stuffed the stats sheet on his way to 8 points (3/6 shots), 9 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 blocks.

The women next play Malta on Wednesday 10.45am GMT while the men play Wales tomorrow at 1.0ppm GMT.