AHMEDABAD (India) - It took some time for Australia to get going and when they did, there was no stopping the crew in accomplishing the very goal each and everyone of them had set before flying into this city.
The Emus leaned on a big second-half assault to eventually take down the gritty China, 89-79, and successfully retain the FIBA U18 Asia Cup title before a good crowd at the Veer Savarkar Indoor Stadium, Sunday night.
Jai Fa'ale and Harry Cook joined hands for a quick 7-0 run to break the knot and give themselves a 69-62 lead with 1:17 left in the third, and that was all they needed to take control as they soon pulled away for good.
Isaac Riddle delivered their first basket of the fourth, then came Antonio Browne and Bailey Hanson with hits of their own to inflate the lead to double digits for the first time since the second period, 78-67, with 6:23 to go.
And it would be all Team Australia since, with the crew leading by as many as 15 points, 89-74, with less than 30 seconds remaining as the Chinese could no longer keep up the way they did in the first three chapters.
"Immensely proud," stated head coach Luke Brennan, whose team has also gone 18-0 in the competition. "We know how difficult the Asia zone is, and we know that to be in this position, it's a privilege to be able to do this."
Fa'ale led the Emus with 19 points in the triumph that enabled the country to achieve the first U18 Asia Cup 'back-to-back' in 14 years, or since their EABA foes won the second title of a 'three-peat' back in 2012 in Mongolia.
Hanson finished with 17 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists. Yahya Basaran made 13 points and 2 blocks, while Cook flirted with a double-double of 11 points and 9 rebounds as the quartet led the balanced attack.
Basaran would go on to earn Most Valuable Player honors, thus headlining the Tournament All-Star Five which also featured Fa'ale, China's Zhang Yizhaojie, Jackson Ball of New Zealand, and Korea's Yoon Jihoon.
"It's a great feeling. I couldn't be prouder," said the 2.14 M (7'0") tall Basaran, who was also part of the Crocs team that took home the bronze medal in the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup in Türkiye just last July.
"For the World Cup [last month], it's a great honor. I think six boys from that team competed in this team as well, and we won the gold in Asia. Looking ahead for the World Cup," the 17-year-old center furthered.
Zhang, on the other hand, led China with a game-high 20 points and 5 rebounds as the country's first Final appearance since 2014 didn't lead to the gold, thus extending their title drought to 12 years as well.
Li Junxian notched a double-double of 15 points and 12 rebounds, while Zhang Yuchen chipped in 13 points and 7 assists for the runners-up, who remained proud and optimistic of what the future holds for the program.
"We have four players who were born in 2010, so they can play the next U18 Asia Cup. They have a very bright future. And I hope they can play well in the next year's World Cup," offered China head coach Wang Jianjun.
Australia, China, New Zealand, and Korea have qualified for the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2027 in Czechia from June 26 to July 4, 2027.
FIBA