Basketball Australia’s Centre of Excellence Emus have stunned the competition to claim their second ever Albert Schweitzer Cup - defeating Serbia (71 – 65) in Mannheim, Germany.
Break out star Rocco Zikarsky was named tournament MVP and imposed himself on the outcome of the gold medal game with 20 points and nine rebounds in the finale.
The 7’3 monster from Queensland benefited from an all-star cast with U20’s Nationals MVP Roman Siulepa (16 points) and Tasmanian jet Jacob Furphy (16 points) providing the firepower to hold out against a determined Serbian outfit.
Coach Robbie McKinlay was ecstatic with his teams’ ability to meet the intensity.
"The gold medal game against Serbia was exactly why we wanted to play in this event,” said McKinlay
“A massive outcome against a powerful European opponent, great atmosphere, and a medal on the line," he said.
"We were really challenged in that fourth quarter, and Serbia was coming hard, but the boys showed some grit and came up with some big stops when it counted."
The Emu’s were an irresistible force across the tournament, progressing through the group stages undefeated. They moved past Italy in the semi-final before booking a date with European powerhouse Serbia.
In the last quarter of the fourth, Australia looked home with a 14-point lead with 5 minutes to go - but a Serbian hot streak evaporated the buffer to level the scores with two minutes on the clock.
The Emus resilience was tested at the pinnacle of the tournament - and when the game was on the line – the Australian grit shone through. After a frenetic exchange of buckets, Siulepa came through in the clutch to put the game beyond doubt.
Box scores – schedule & results here
More to come.
