HAMBURG (FIBA U17 World Championship) – Jakob Krumbeck, Germany's hero in game two of group B play, struck first on a contested layup against Poland's frontcourt. After that it was all about the hosts' european neighbors. Sporting a relentless defense Poland collected many deflected passes and converted easy layups on the other end of the court.

Big man Przemyslaw Karnowski (24 points, 9 rebounds) dominated the paint at will. After teams parted 6:20 at the end of the second quarter, it took Germany exactly four minutes until Besnik Bekteshi was able to hit an open three pointer from top of the key (9:24). Both squads switched to zone defense and back to man-to-man midway through the quarter, what prevented Poland from extending its lead (14:30, 20min).

Germany showed its composure at the beginning of the third period, cutting down the deficit with a 8:0 spurt to set the margin into single digits (22:30, 23min). Coach Frank Menz' squad would score no further baskets, as Poland went for a 22:0 frenzy to close the period.

In the fourth stanza it was Johannes Richter who scored at first for the hosts (24:54, 32min), who at no point figured out a way to get back into this game.

Quotes

Frank Menz, Germany head coach: „There is no reason for us to lose confidence. I am sure that we will play our best basketball tomorrow. Poland played like men do, we did not. Losing today is better than losing in the quarter-finals.“

Tomasz Niedbalski, Poland assistant coach: „We knew we would meet a team that is well-prepared for this tournament. For us this was a key match to make it to the next round. We hope this was a good show for the audience.“

FIBA / JB