Pollyanna Storie and GB U18 Women have returned to the UK following a 19th placed finish at the 2019 FIBA U18 European Championships Division B.
Storie, who was one of seven players to make the step up from U16 to U18 for the first time during the tournament, faced a gruelling schedule in Skopje as the team played eight games over the course of ten days.
The team faced a tough first game as they faced a Dutch side that would go on to finish seventh overall. The Netherlands proved too strong for the young team, with a 48-73 defeat for GB. The games didn’t get any easier with Sweden – who went on to miss out on a medal in the bronze medal game v Turkey – waiting in game two. The Swedes ran out 81-38 winners.
Storie’s defensive rebounds proved a valuable asset for GB, with the Scot recording 8 against Ukraine as GB battled for their first win of the tournament, although it was not to be as they fell 65-46. The first win finally came in the fourth game v Albania, with GB recording a fully-deserved 67-50 victory.
Luxembourg awaited GB in the final group game and a late basket fell just after the buzzer to deny GB a shot at overtime, falling 38-36.
Storie recorded nine rebounds for the third time in six games as GB overcame hosts North Macedonia 57-54 in the first of their three classification games. A loss to Austria followed, 67-52, with Storie recording her tournament high 11 points during the defeat.
Despite the tough tournament to date, the GB team finished on a high in Skopje, securing 19th place with a 55-40 victory over Norway.
