What a way to win a championship.

Scotland’s under 16 women simply smashed their way to first place at the European Championship, Division C, with a 95-32 mauling of Monaco in the final.

The team proved they were way too good for Division C as they went unbeaten for the tournament and won by an average of 48 points per game.

A 26-9 first quarter put the result beyond doubt and Scotland kept up the pace to hold Monaco below 10 points in each quarter.

Claire Paxton MVP

A 59-29 rebound advantage, together with forcing 40 turnovers, was further evidence, if any was needed, of the team’s dedication and effort level.

Claire Paxton earned Tournament MVP honours after a leading the tournament in rebounding and second in points. A 21 point (8/12 shots), 22 rebound effort in the final underlined her ability.

Beth Mackie was unstoppable with 20 points (8/10 shots) in only 18 minutes of court time.

Sarah Thomson, who joined Paxton and Hilary Wood in the Tournament All-star 5, stuffed the stat sheet again with 15 points (6/11 shots), 3 rebounds and 4 assists in only 19 minutes of action.

Hilary Wood showed why she is the sparkplug of the team with 5 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 7 steals.

The players were seen hugging the trophy all the way home and were greeted by cheers at the airport on arrival, not to mention cheers from the 37 family members that made up the tartan army at the tournament.

Congratulations to Robyn Lewis, Hilary Wood, Allie Gardner, Katy Brown, Robyn McDonald, Jennifer Harris, Sarah Thomson, Beth Mackie, Gemma McCrae, Claire Paxton, Nicky Forde, Lisa Mackie, Stephanie McGowan, Marianne Hayward, Lorna Norman and Ian Gordon.

All Star 5 - Paxton, Wood, Thomson

Scotland continued to run over all comers at the Under 16 Women European Championships, Division C, with a 82-28 mauling of Cyprus in the semi-final.

Scotland will face the winner of the other semi-final between Andorra and Monaco as they bid to emulate the 2006 championship winning team that featured three future Great Britain under 20 players in Annie Rowan, Mairi Buchan and Rebecca Allison.

Intense defensive pressure was again a powerful weapon for Scotland as they forced Cyprus into an incredible 49 turnovers, including 31 steals.

28 offensive rebounds provided further evidence of Scotland’s hustle as they simply had too much speed and energy for their opponents.

Point guard Hilary Wood warmed up for the final with a superb effort of 8 rebounds and 8 steals to go with 14 points (5/11 shots, 4/8 free throws).

Nicola Forde was a force around the basket as she powered her way to 13 points (5/9 shots, 3/5 free throws) and 9 rebounds.

Gemma McCrae had an excellent all-round game with 14 points (4/11 shots, 3/5 free throws), 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals.

Scotland now look forward to the final tomorrow (Saturday) at 3/15pm GMT.

Scotland’s run continues at the Under 16 European Championships, Division C, as the women took care of Malta 66-31 to finish top of their poll and progress to the semi-finals.

The win preserves Scotland’s unbeaten run of four games at the women’s and men’s tournaments, both hosted in Andorra.

After a low scoring first half, Scotland used an offensive outburst in the third quarter to win the quarter 23-8 then won the fourth quarter 22-13 to put the seal on another impressive victory.

Scotland’s pressurised man-to-man defence again provided the spark as they forced Malta into 43 turnovers, including 26 steals.

A balanced attack saw six Scotland players score 5 points or more while all twelve players hit the court.

Allie Gardner played an excellent game with 12 points (4/5 shots, 3/3 free throws), 4 rebounds and 5 steals in only 17 minutes of playing time.

Claire Paxton produced a double-double with 10 rebounds and 10 points (5/11 shots) to go with 3 assists and 3 steals.

Sarah Thomson lead Scotland’s scoring with 16 points (7/17 shots) as well as 6 rebounds, 2 assist and 5 steals.

Gemma McCrae and Jennifer Crawford both contributed 7 points and 7 rebounds.

Scotland now await the loser of the Cyprus v Andorra game to find out who they play in the semi-final on Friday, 1.00pm GMT.

Games 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.