At the end, the U18 Bayern basketball team lacked some strength: They finished the qualifying round of the Adidas Next Generation Tournament in Podgorica in a respectable fourth place. In the third-place playoff, the young Munich talents lost decisively to the Montenegrin hosts after a convincing first half, with a score of 65:82 (44:36). Their injured top scorer Ivan Kharchenkov remained on the bench after halftime for preventive reasons. However, the 17-year-old FCBB youngster (16.5 PpS) was chosen for his strong performances to the All Tournament Starting Five. Once again, the youth team of Real Madrid celebrated the victory.
Towards the end, the energy waned
A good 20 minutes weren't enough against Podgorica, and center Desmond Yiamu emerged as the top scorer this time with 15 points. Kharchenkov, who had twisted his ankle the day before, was initially able to start. The Bayern team quickly found themselves juggling foul troubles despite quick shot attempts resulting from two steals by Dominik Dolic (8:3/3.). However, this was well compensated as Yiamu dominated inside (25:20/10.).
The hosts, meanwhile, were particularly strong on the offensive boards, with David Mirkovic standing out as an outstanding big man (32:32/15.). For the guests, it was often Dolic who scored inside or found Nikolas Sermpezis (two three-pointers) and Ivan Volf (three three-pointers) open.
The second half began with a notably unfortunate start, as numerous easy chances went astray – it took five minutes for Dolic to end the drought (46:47/25.). Nonetheless, Bayern experienced a forgettable quarter, managing only four points – 48:58.
"The boys can be proud"
Coach Emir Mutapcic opted not to take any risks in the final period and chose to bench Kharchenkov. Meanwhile, the 15-year-old center Namik Muratovic made an impression with eight points for Bayern.
Dominik Dolic commented afterward: "We started the game well, built a lead, and in the first half, we moved the ball well. Unfortunately, things didn't come together as much in the second half, but we fought until the end."
Co-Trainer Renato Kapular added: "In the first half, it was a real battle between Podgorica and us. Podgorica executed extremely disciplined, so congratulations to the hosts. Unfortunately, we ran out of steam a bit in the second half, but nevertheless, the boys can be very proud of the performance they showed."
FCBB U18: Desmond Yiamu (15), Dominik Dolic (14), Ivan Volf (9), Nikolas Sermpezis (8), Namik Muratovic (8), Eduard Rantz (7), Ivan Kharchenkov (4), Aksel Laso, Alan Topic, Matteo Petters, and Koray Grenz.