AUS/POL - Australia take Group E honors

RIGA (2011 FIBA U19 World Championship) – Australia has won their top of the table Group E clash with Poland, setting up a quarter final date with Serbia.

For the opening four games of the tournament it was Anthony Drmic doing most of the scoring for the Australians. But when he found himself heavily marked against Brazil it was Mitchell Creek stepping up to take over scoring duties, subsequently seeing more than his fair share of attention from Poland. So it was over to Jackson Aldridge to have his day in the spotlight, with his game high 21 points leading Australia to a comfortable 20-point victory over the Poles.

Poland used a different tactic in their game against Australia, particularly once Australia had the game under control. Having relied on a handful of key players in their opening matches, the Polish coaching staff divided the duties against Australia, calling upon their bench for bigger minutes, reserving the energy of their starting lineup for the quarterfinals.

Finishing second in the group offered little consolation for the Poles who will now either meet Croatia or Lithuania in the final four, pending the result of the final Quarter Eight match between South American rivals Argentina and Brazil.

In the press conference following the match Polish head of delegation Grzegorz Zielinski made no secret of who he would rather meet in the final eight. “I think that for us Croatia would be better…Lithuania in my opinion are the best team here.”

FIBA