WABA U15: Thrilling Final Minutes and Decisive Second Half

The excitement continued on the second day of the second-window WABA U15 League in Crikvenica. Cinkarna Celje secured a hard-fought 77-60 win over Arx Crikvenica after a thrilling battle decided in the final minutes. In the other matchup, Futurosa #Forna beat Rovinj 63-55 in a defensive, high-intensity game defined by a high turnover count and a decisive second-half scoring surge.

2026-27 WABA U15 League

Sunday, October 26

Group A

Crikvenica (Primary School Zvonko Car)

Rovinj-Futurosa #Forna 55-63 (15-22, 17-16, 12-13, 11-12)   FULL STATS

Futurosa # Forna opened the game by storming out to a quick 6-0 lead. Rovinj quickly responded with six consecutive points to tie at 6-6, the first and only tie of the contest. After that brief deadlock, the Italians regained control and closed out the opening quarter with a commanding 18-8 lead.

Despite trailing by as many as 13 points, Rovinj refused to back down. They slowly chipped away at the deficit and mounted a strong third-period comeback, closing the gap to just three points at 40-43 midway through the quarter.

However, Futurosa #Forna answered immediately with a game-defining run to take a 57-44 lead, fueled by Camila Sturm, who added 8 critical points during the stretch. Rovinj struggled from the charity stripe and, plagued by poor free-throw shooting, couldn’t threaten the lead again.

Both teams played an uncharacteristically sloppy game, combining for a staggering 75 turnovers (39 by Futurosa and 36 by Rovinj). Both sides also struggled immensely from beyond the arc, converting just one three-pointer each over 40 minutes (Futurosa shot 1-12, while Rovinj shot 1-14).

Camila Sturm paced the winning team with an impressive game-high 24 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 steals. Micol Pribac added an efficient 19 points on 9-of-12 shooting inside the arc, while Elisa Rezzano helped anchor the glass with 9 rebounds and 7 points.

For Rovinj, Laura Rojnic put up an excellent double-double performance, finishing with 15 points and 13 rebounds. She was the only other Croatian player in double figures.

Arx Crikvenica-Cinkarna Celje 60-77 (18-19, 18-21, 14-12, 10-25)   FULL STATS

The match was highly competitive from the opening tip, with both teams trading the lead until the end of the third quarter. The crucial turning point came when Cinkarna Celje erased a 49-50 deficit with an explosive 9-0 run to take a 58-50 lead heading into the final period.

Despite the setback, the home side refused to back down, fighting hard to keep themselves within striking distance at 57-63 in the 35th minute. However, the reigning champions from Slovenia shifted into a higher gear for the final stretch, closing out the game with a dominant 14-3 run to seal a comfortable double-digit victory.

Ajda Praper delivered a stellar all-around performance for the winning side, anchoring Cinkarna Celje with a game-high 31 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 assists for a double-double. Uma Kotnik dominated the paint, contributing another huge double-double with 18 points and 14 rebounds. Deja Dunovic also reached double figures, adding 15 points to Celje’s tally.

For Arx Crikvenica, Matea Buric led the scoring with 20 points and 10 rebounds, followed closely by Vita Turina, who added 16 points and 9 boards. Ema Kikic also put up a strong performance with 12 points and 9 rebounds.