Great achievement: Israeli team advances to U19 basketball world cup quarterfinals

Israel’s Under-19 national team secured a spot in the quarterfinals of the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup on Wednesday, following an 86–82 win over Cameroon in the round of 16.

In the upcoming quarterfinal match, set to take place this Friday, the blue-and-white squad will face Slovenia, which edged out Argentina 81–80 in their own round of 16 matchup.

Similar to the win over the Dominican Republic, Sharon Avrahami’s team didn’t shine early and had to chase their opponents for three quarters, staying in the game thanks to a stellar performance from Omer Mayer, who scored 30 points by the end of the third quarter.

In the final ten minutes, Israel took the lead and managed to hold on despite Cameroon’s comeback attempts. Mayer, who played for Maccabi Tel Aviv last season, finished with 33 points and seven assists, while the game-changer off the bench was Alon Danieli, who added ten points and recorded a +24 plus-minus rating.

Once again, Israel started the game with Omer Mayer, Rani Bilega, Aviv Henkin, Ariel Sela, and Tamir Gold.

However, the opening minutes belonged to Cameroon, who jumped to a 15–2 lead in under four minutes. Avrahami called a timeout that helped settle the team, Bilega scored back-to-back plays, and Gabi Artemenko and Miron Katz also got their first points of the tournament.

The quarter ended with Israel trailing by seven, 15–22. Despite seven straight points by Mayer that cut the lead to just one, Cameroon maintained control in the second quarter with strong three-point shooting and dominance in the paint, leading 45–38 at halftime.

Early in the third quarter, Mayer again brought Israel within two points, but Cameroon responded with a 12–0 run, including a powerful dunk by standout player Gideon Basson.

The momentum shifted once more as Israel held Cameroon without a field goal for the remainder of the quarter. Mayer, who will play for Purdue University next season, poured in 14 points in that period alone, cutting the deficit to 57–60 heading into the final quarter.

After Mayer gave Israel its first lead of the game, the teams traded baskets until Sahar nailed a three-pointer to put Israel up 74–68 with under five minutes remaining.

Cameroon kept it close down the stretch, but clutch plays by Danieli, Mayer, and Goldman sealed the crucial 86–82 win for Israel, securing their place in the next round.

Points for Israel: Mayer with 33 points and 7 assists; Sahar scored 12 points, Danieli 10, Bilega 9, Goldman 8, Sela 5, Artemenko 4, Katz 3, and Gold 2.