Electrifying Elena leading Greece's charge

Sopron (FIBA U18 Women's European Championship 2017) - In a heartwarming scene, Greece's jubilant players were jumping around and hugging each other as the buzzer sounded against Turkey on Day 2. The euphoric scenes were reminiscent of a championship celebration. For the promoted Greece, experiencing the winning feeling in the FIBA U18 Women's European Championship was a momentous occasion.

It loomed as an uphill battle for Greece but they have shown plenty of resolve and skill during a tournament that has produced several surprises already. Perhaps emerging as a 'dark horse', Greece were competitive on Day 1 against Latvia before going one step better in their thrilling 62-57 victory over Turkey.

Proudly showcasing the innate characteristics of Greek national teams, the team fights hard and plays for each other. There were moments in both games when Greece were struggling and looked likely to roll over only to muster impressive counter-punches.

However, resilience and effort can get a team only so far. Fortunately for Greece, they boast talent and scoring punch through dynamo Elena Tsineke, who has been lighting it up during the opening two games.

Against Latvia, Greece trailed big early before staging a comeback through the inspiring heroics of Tsineke, who was red-hot from beyond the arc. She scored 33 points, including 5-of-7 from deep, in the most dynamic performance of the tournament thus far.

It was always going to be tough to repeat that astounding effort and, accordingly, Tsineke struggled early against Turkey with her jumper misfiring. However, when it mattered most, Tsineke rediscovered her stroke and hit numerous clutch shots to finish with 23 points and propel her team to victory.

The 5ft 9in (1.76m) point guard oozes with potential. She moves well, has impressive ball handling abilities and a streaky outside shot. When her shooting is in the groove, like it was against Latvia, Tsineke is almost unstoppable. 

As she repeatedly demonstrated over the opening two days, Tsineke wants the ball in her hands and relishes being entrusted with responsibility. The 18-year-old says she enjoys facing up to the challenge. "My confidence is a big key for me and I feel like I can make plays for my team," she says. "I just love the game and want to keep getting better."

For support, Tsineke is comforted by the presence of twin sister Aikatrini, who is the shooting guard on the team. Making the victory over Turkey even sweeter, Aikatrini also enjoyed a terrific game with 15 points, 7 rebounds and 4 steals.

Tsineke says she relishes playing alongside her twin sister. "It is the best feeling to play with her," she says. "I love playing with her and that helps me a lot. I feel confident when she is there and we love playing together."

Tsineke says her dream is to play in the WNBA but right now she is focusing on the present and leading Greece's surprising charge in Sopron. "I'm happy how I am playing but I am most happy about how we are playing as a team," she says. "We fight until the end and just always give our best. I believe that we can go far but we are new to Division A, so this is a good experience for us."

In what shapes as a mouthwatering clash, Greece plays hosts Hungary on Day 3.

FIBA