LAKTASI (Bosnia and Herzegovina) - The final day of the 2026 edition of the Youth Basketball Champions League served up one of the best games ever in the Third-Place Game as Oostende took it down to the last possession to overcome Telekom Baskets Bonn.
Elsewhere, BC Sabah ended their first attendance at this event with a big win over Tofas Bursa, Borac Banja Luka showed everyone they are more than a stand-in with a clutch victory over Ludwigsburg, and of course, there was also a huge matchup in the Final between the hosts Igokea m:tel and Rytas Vilnius.
The Lithuanians completed the three-peat in characteristically impressive fashion.
Here are the final day results:
KK Borac BL vs. Porsche BBA Ludwigsburg: 57-54 (rewatch the game here)
Coretec Basketball Academy vs. Telekom Baskets Bonn: 80-78 (rewatch the game here)
Igokea m:tel vs. Rytas Vilnius: 54-77 (rewatch the game here)
#1 It's a game of runs
Basketball comes at you fast. Literally.
You can be Coretec Basketball Academy from Oostende, feeling good about yourself, on a 14-2 run to go up 21-7 in the first quarter, and feeling like you are on track for a well-earned third-place finish. Then, all of a sudden, your opponents wake up and go on a 17-0 run themselves to take a 45-33 lead.
Oostende managed to stem the tide somewhat with efforts from Max Van de Keere's 14 first-half points and back-to-back three-pointers to make it 48-43 with 2:20 to go in the half.
Overall, however, Bonn were too good for Oostende in the first half.
Maximilian Von Saldern, in particular, was very good. He was going through everything in his bag on the way to 13 first-half points of his own. As a team, Bonn also shot 45 percent from deep in the first 20 minutes.
#2 Third place is better than second
Obviously, second place is better than third, but the feeling of winning your last game in a tournament will always be superior to being on the losing team in a final.
And anyone who thinks Third-Place Games don't matter would do well to watch this game. The effort from both teams to take this down to a last-possession, clutch-time decider was more than commendable.
Especially after a short and intense tournament schedule that meant the Semi-Finals were less than 24 hours before this game.
Oostende had all the work to do in the third and fourth quarters, both mentally and physically. The first half had followed such a similar pattern to the game they had just lost to Igokea in the Semi-Finals, that the temptation to crumble and give up the fight could have crept into the back of weaker minds.
By the time Dylan Inussa Isako hit a mean cross and step back combo move to leave his defender lost and powerless to do anything but watch the three-ball drop, it was clear Oostende weren't in any mood to accept anything less than a medal today.
Moments later, Tim Waerniers drove the bucket to give Oostende the lead 58-56 with 3:00 to go in the third. Bonn, to their credit, also weren't going down without a fight.
The impressive Von Saldern hit two three-pointers in the fourth to wrestle the lead back at 74-71, with 4:36 left in the game.
It was 2009-born Max Van de Keere who sealed the deal for Oostende with a deep three-pointer from unselfish Oostende ball movement, then a clutch step through for the game-winning bucket to make it 80-78 with 30 seconds to play.
#3 Defense wins championships
We all hate clichés, but this one must be true just because of the sheer volume of times when this FIBA writer has written it.
Pre-game, the nervous energy in the arena was palpable. The moment the ball went up for the opening tip, Rytas instantly snapped into game mode. Especially on the defensive end.
The first quarter went by in a blur, and before anyone noticed, the Lithuanians had held Igokea to just 6 points with 3:07 to go in the first quarter. And two of those points came from free throws after an unsportsmanlike foul.
Offensively, Rytas picked up exactly where they left off in the Semi-Final. The first two buckets went like this: Gabriuelius Buivydas pick-and-roll with Gabriuelius Krivas, Buivydas jump pass to Krivas on the short-roll, catch, finish at the rim.
When Kornelijus Snitka hit a floater to beat the shot clock buzzer and put Rytas up 16-6, a different kind of nervousness descended on the fans in the full stand behind the team benches.
Igokea did well to rescue some kind of flow and end the half down 39-24. Ognjen Perisic's 10 points were the lone bright spot for the hosts.
#4 Winning is a habit
Rytas captain Kornelijus Snitka and back-court running mate Gabrielius Buivydas told us before the Semi-Finals that winning is a culture at Rytas. And they weren't kidding.
That culture comes from playing with a certain focus and set of standards to uphold every time they step on the floor. Rytas embodied those standards for the full 40 minutes of this game.
They refused to let up on the intensity until the final buzzer. Benas Birzinis top-scored with 18 points and 3 assists.
Rytas shot 50 percent from the floor and dished out 23 assists.
It was a tough evening for Igokea, who struggled to find any rhythm in the game. Perisic ended the game with 12 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists for the hosts.
They will be stronger for this experience, and several of this squad still have a year of eligibility to come back and prove that.
For Rytas, it's starting to look like they are a long way off from anyone loosening their grip on this trophy.
One thing is for sure: they aren't just going to give it up; someone will have to take it to another level to take it from them. For now, the YBCL belongs to Rytas Vilnius.