Sapphires path confirmed for Asia Cup glory

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• Sapphires confirm team for U16 Asia Cup

FIBA has confirmed the groupings and schedule of the U16 Women's Asia Cup-Division A set for September 22-28 in Seremban, Malaysia.

Australia are coming in as the defending three-time champions and will look to win the crown for an unprecedented fourth straight time in the eighth edition of the tournament that began in 2009.

The Sapphires lead Group A that also features Chinese Taipei, Korea, and the Philippines, who earned the promotion to the top division after ruling Division B during the 2023 games in Jordan.

“Picking this final team was as tall of an order as I’ve had as a coach, on account of the depth of skill and character on hand,” said Sapphires Head Coach Tom Garlepp.

“The 12 players selected for the Asia Cup demonstrated a toughness and togetherness that I feel the country will be proud of when they watch them play.”

"I expect a high-quality tournament,” Garlepp added.

“The Asian nations will no doubt bring high-level skill and an intense playing style. New Zealand have also grown as a group since the Oceania Championships and will be tough. We’ll be looking to simply go for it as best we can and grow stronger with each opportunity.”

Group B, on the other hand, is headlined by China, who won the championship in three of the first four editions of the competition before Australia started their reign of dominance in 2017 in Bengaluru, India.

Also in the pool are Japan, the only other team to win the gold medal, together with 2023 bronze medalists New Zealand and Syria, who are competing in Division A for the second straight time.

The Group Phase will be played from September 22-24, with each game day featuring four games. Each team will compete against the others in their respective groups in a single round-robin format.

The top teams from each group will advance directly to the Semi-Finals on September 27, while teams finishing second and third in their groups will play in the Qualification to Semi-Finals set the day before.

Teams finishing fourth in their groups, meanwhile, will play in the Classification 7-8 set September 26 as well. The winner remains in Division A while the losing side will be relegated to Division B for the next tournament.

A Classification 5-6 will also be played just before the Semi-Finals.

The Final, as well as the Third-Place Game, is set on September 28.

Sapphires team for FIBA Asia U16 Cup

Eden Catip (QLD)

Marianna Fakalata (VIC)

Daisy Hocking (SA)

Jemyma Manyok (QLD)

Lily Mapp (QLD)

Mya Moke (QLD)

Olivia Olechnowicz (QLD)

Sophie Richardson (VIC)

Madison Ryan (VIC)

Laura Seiz (VIC)

Isabel Smith (QLD)

Matilda Trout (VIC)

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