The Poles lose their third friendly. This is the situation before EuroBasket.
"Another training session is behind us. The Serbs are a team striving for lofty goals, medals. We can take a lot of positives from this match. Our efficiency is still a bit lacking, but that's not the most important thing at this stage. We showed a lot of teamwork and smart defense. We launched many good attacks that resulted in open shots. We can be satisfied with that. Step by step, we are achieving our goals. We are working every day to be fully prepared on August 28th," said coach Igor Milicic, quoted on the PZKosz website.
The team played three matches after a week-long training camp in Krakow. In Trento, the team lost to Senegal 69-75 and in the third-place match, they defeated Iceland 92-90, which will be the Polish national team's group rival in Group D in Katowice.
After returning home, the team will play three more friendly matches, likely with the recently naturalized American Jordan Lloyd: against Sweden in Katowice (August 10), and against Georgia in Sosnowiec (August 14) and Finland (August 17). To conclude their preparations, the Poles will face Suomi again in Helsinki (August 21).
The 42nd edition of the European Championship will be played from August 27 to September 14 in four groups (six teams each) in four countries: Limassol in Cyprus, Tampere in Finland, Katowice in Poland, and Riga. The knockout stage, which determines the medals, will also be held in the Latvian capital, starting from the round of 16.
The Polish national team will face Slovenia (August 28), Israel (August 30), Iceland (August 31), France (September 2), and Belgium (September 4) in Group D at the Spodek Arena in Katowice. Kick-off is at 8:30 p.m. The top four teams will advance to the knockout stage.
Spain will defend the title they won in Berlin. The Polish national team finished fourth at EuroBasket 2022, advancing to the semifinals for the first time since 1971. (PAP)
Poland - Serbia 67:79 (13:19, 18:18, 16:20, 20:22)
Poland: Michał Michalak 12, Tomasz Gielo 10, Michał Sokołowski 8, Aleksander Balcerowski 8, Dominik Olejniczak 8, Mateusz Ponitka 7, Andrzej Pluta 6, Przemysław Żołnierewicz 5, Kamil Łączyński 3, Jeremy Sochan 0, Aleksander Dziewa 0, Tymoteusz Sternicki 0.
The match took place without the participation of the media and fans.
Olga/ Krys/
Source of information: Polish Press Agency
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