Real races past Stellazzurra for ANGT Finals ticket

Reigning continental champion U18 Real Madrid will have a chance to defend its Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament title after clinching first place at the ANGT Munich with an 88-104 victory over U18 Stellazzurra Rome. Konstantin Kostadinov led the way with 23 points and 9 rebounds for Real, which has now won the ANGT Munich for all three editions and will play at the ANGT Finals for a seventh straight year. Tristan Tsalikis-Vouktsevits added 19 points and 4 blocks, Eli John Ndiaye had 15 points and 9 rebounds and Urban Klavzar chipped in 11 points as Real, which also won the 2015 continental crown, will join U18 Herbalife Gran Canaria at the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four. The latter qualified when it took first place at the ANGT Valencia. Stellazzurra, which reached the ANGT Championship Game in 2018, was paced by Fedor Zugic with 26 points while Abramo Canka talied 16 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists.

Real opened with the first 4 points of the game but Stellazzurra was not impressed with Canka’s dunk and went on an 11-2 run with three-pointers from Leo Menalo and Zugic for an 11-6 lead. Juan Nunez set up a basket and scored one as well in helping Real knot the game at 11-11. Menalo hit another triple and Stellazzurra led 16-13 when Ab Sediq Garuba scored twice to spark a 2-12 surge, which also included a Klavzar three-pointer and an 18-25 advantage. The Spanish powerhouse led 22-27 after 10 minutes. Kostadinov opened the second quarter with three scores and Klavzar was on target from the outside in another 2-12 run as Real pulled away 24-39. His team needing a score, Canka came up with a three-point play and added another bucket as Stellazzurra pulled within 31-39. After a timeout, Real punched back with 4 points from Matteo Spagnolo and yet another Klavzar triple for a 36-50 margin, which was 39-52 at halftime.

Canka came out of the break on a mission to get Stellazzurra back into the game and scored 6 points, including 2 free throws after an unsportsmanlike foul. The ensuing possession was a Zugic three-pointer that got the Italian side within 49-52. Zugic hit another long ball and it was 52-54. His next triple got Stellazzurra as close as 55-58. Tsalikis-Vouktsevits helped Real regain control of the game though with 11 points in a 2-17 run for a 57-75 lead. Zugic did knock down another three and Real went ahead 66-81 after 30 minutes. Kostadinov started the final frame with a three-pointer and added another later for a 74-90 advantage with just over 6 minutes left in the game. Matteo Visintin’s basket cut the gap to 78-90, but Real just had too much firepower and eased to the win.