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Recap: Sapphires open title defence with dominant win over Angola

Next game vs Latvia.

Who do they play next?

Can't really read anything into that game as the girls busted it open early. Looked like a classic first game of tournament with rust.
Not sure we should be naming 16 year olds, but I disagree with the anon above regardless.

Scout...read my last post...

Ooops apologies LC , had a bloke look

Sapphires are now 2-0 to open the 2018 FIBA U17 World Cup in Belarus.

Sapphires top Latvia in low-scoring affair to remain undefeated

Next take on Canada tonight...

Watch live on The Pick and Roll Facebook page!

*Tomorrow night

15min till game time!

Another suffocating defensive effort from the Sapphires combined with an outstanding first half at the offensive end, have delivered the Australians a 64-48 victory over Canada to top Group D at the FIBA Under 17 Women's World Cup.

Lily Scanlon led the Sapphires with 22 points, with Shyla Heal adding 16 and Isobel Anstey grabbing 12 rebounds.

Sapphires suffocate Canada to set up Round of 16 clash with New Zealand

I'm daring to dream and watching each game closely.

I think the girls have done a great job and have assets outside and in.

Just imagine the kerfuffle in the US if the Sapphires triumph again?

Apart from the NZ game Palmer hasn't been impressive. I’d like to see more court time of Melbourne and Potter. Good luck tonite girls.

Isaac, I know it's worlds, but these kids are still 16year olds, so I don’t think they should be named. As for individual s, sometimes when you’re not scoring, smart players create for others. I haven’t had time to check other teams, but so far, our team has been short impressive defensively and have been well organised on offence. Maybe, just maybe, we can repeat!

Great win! Shyla Heal with a massive game and the bigs continue to clean up the o-glass well. This team has nice balance, if Emma-Nnopu, Anstey and Fowler can board well against the US, (hopefully we can get past France), they are a definite chance.

Hard fought win by Sapphires against a gallant Italy, who offered physical defense which exposed frailties in the Australians which would have been noted by France and the US.

Italy closed to within 5 points in Q4, had made 2 successive steals and had the Sapphires looking rather untidy. Sapphires yielded 23 turnovers in this game, 13 of which were steals. Thankfully the Italians were not too efficient in turning steals into points. This, and missing free throws, kept the Italian score down.

I thought our bigs were good. All our bigs copped a lot of barges and reach ins that were not called. To their credit they were not fazed, offered a strong contest, out-rebounded and out-scored the Italians.

Credit goes to Seebohm for substituting in mids (notably Potter and Nnenna) in H2 which calmed the offence and (in the case of Nnenna) made key baskets that checked scoring run by the Italians. And - of course - Heal was just terrific breaking the game for the Sapphires in Q4 with 2 layups, making free throws and a high pressure 3.

I think we can beat France.

They have a welter of quality bigs (notably Rupert) and mids and rely a lot on high low action in off. They have a terrific guard in Pardon.

However, to me, France look slow and that makes them foul prone.

Apart from the opening game vs Japan (who have strong guards, but lack size) France have yet to be tested against a quality all round team in this tournament. Aust has one of the best hustle defenses around which often unsettles opposition teams.

France's offense will have to crank up a notch against the Sapphires. They have to find an alternative path to scoring than going through Rupert, as Australia has the size and quality to contain her.

If France insist on forcing the ball inside - Australia should win. France will be encouraged by high turnovers Australia's guards yielded to Italy. If Aust passes the ball as badly as we did against Italy, Aust loses. France should be more efficient than Italy in transition. Aust needs to put up more outside shots - particularly past the 18 sec mark on the shot clock - we yielded too many time violations against Italy.

Really good 1st half by the Aussies. Bigs held their own, and the guards did some real damage. Palmer = money.

Coach Seebohm has some analysing to do after this tournament. I wonder if he primed the girls that France was going to be aggressive coming out in the 2 half. He played the young girl Heal for too long without any small breaks for her. Scanlon sat on the bench for too long in the 2 half. Iv liked her aggressiveness and we missed that. The young girl Melbourne with good handles and a offensive mindset didn't see any game time and very limited time since the NZ game. Why not bring her on no use having her there just to wave a towel around. And Anstey our tallest player should have been on more to combat those O boards that France killed us with in the 2 half. Oh and that press. Who would of thought the good old press that demoralises teams across the nation from juniors to here now. That was our undoing.

The Sapphires' charge towards a second consecutive Under-17 World Cup gold medal has ended at the hands of France, who staged a daring comeback to rally from 15 points down to secure a 68-58 semi-final victory.

Guard trio Lily Scanlon, Shyla Heal, and Isabel Palmer all finished in double figures, with Palmer burying five three-pointers to tally 17 points. Yet a turnover count of 24-10, combined with impressive French defence, put the Australians on the back foot as the game unfolded.

Turnovers compound Sapphires’ second half struggles in loss to France

"Coach Seebohm has some analysing to do after this tournament. I wonder if he primed the girls that France was going to be aggressive coming out in the 2 half. He played the young girl Heal for too long without any small breaks for her. Scanlon sat on the bench for too long in the 2 half. Iv liked her aggressiveness and we missed that. The young girl Melbourne with good handles and a offensive mindset didn't see any game time and very limited time since the NZ game. Why not bring her on no use having her there just to wave a towel around. And Anstey our tallest player should have been on more to combat those O boards that France killed us with in the 2 half. Oh and that press. Who would of thought the good old press that demoralises teams across the nation from juniors to here now. That was our undoing."


But how many time do you see this same scenario play put at all levels not just juniors, coaches choose( or should be choosing) p,ayers they believe can get the job done when asked, not just 5 or 6 they believe in and then the rest make up training numbers. If as a coach you cannot ( especially at national level) gather a ten strong team that you have faith in you are going to come up short more often than not.

A smart coach uses all their players in a tournament, so that when it comes to find make his stronger new are not burnt out and his less favourable ones have had enough of a run to be able to fill the void should it be needed.

What a game. That first half they were shooting lights out. France were always going to comeback but that capitulation. Blame is on the coach there, should have countered the pressing but the team had no answer for it and they got into Heal's head and it was all over (she wasn't having her best game either despite best player over the tournament).

Good showing, lots of talent but geez, what a missed opportunity. Perhaps the lack of competitive matches until France didn't prepare them, that and being fatigued by time they reached SF.

When BA start looking at some better talent they will do better! They stick with coe and can't play the younger age much.
Gold last year!

This armchair expert says "well done" to our girls who played their hearts out. We have a good team here - pity they could not overcome the French, but that's sport.

I had expected Anstey and Hollingsworth to pick up Rupert in d which they did in H1 and did a good job. A big reason Aust enjoyed an advantage at half time was that these bigs won more rebounds and reduced supply of quality ball to Rupert/Chery in the first half.

That being the case I was puzzled as to why these assignments changed in H2.
Now Fowler - and occasionally Nnpopu - defended Rupert. Both are fine players in the 3/4 role but each was outmatched in terms of the size-skill package that Rupert offers.

I was also disappointed to see a lack of imagination in Aust setups to break the French press in H2. Some rudimentary scouting of the French would reveal which players they use in the press, taking note of their relatively large size. Furthermore, the Italy game had revealed a propensity of Aust guards to dribble into traps, resulting in weak passes and turnovers.

Watch the bronze medal game live on The Pick and Roll Facebook page!

The Sapphires stormed home in a 26-14 final term for a come-from-behind 57-51 victory over Hungary to secure bronze at the 2018 FIBA Under-17 World Cup for women in Belarus.

Shyla Heal tallied 14 points in the fourth quarter to finish with 16 points to lead the Sapphires' charge, with Lily Scanlon adding 11 and Agnes Emma-Nnopu coming up with 9 rebounds.

Heal was also named All-Star Five.

Bronzed Sapphires top Hungary, Heal named to All-Star Five

Good tournament for our girls. Glad they got up in the end. Heal is just terrific.

Bloody awesome, great effort by all concerned, very proud to be an Aussie with this result.

Well done girls!