AUSTRALIA CLAIM 2018 ALBERT SCHWEITZER TOURNAMENT SILVER MEDAL

Following their brilliant performance in the Semi-Final against Italy, Australia could not keep pace with Germany who were the only team to get the better of the Australians during the group stage as well.

Samson Froling set the tone with seven early points and Australia trailed by just one midway through the first term but Germany finished the quarter on an 18-6 run to open up a double-digit advantage.

Australia had hit their first two three-pointers but they went on to miss their next seven in a row and Germany took advantage of those defensive stops, going on another 12-3 run.

Alex Ducas (18 points, three assists) did his best to drag the Aussies back into the contest, scoring ten points in the second period but Germany were able to double their advantage before half-time while still shooting well over 50% from the field.

Ducas was not going to lie down though and with Callum Dalton (12 points, five boards, one steal, three blocks) joining in, they helped Australia go on an impressive 10-0 run of their own in the third term.

The lead was too big to overcome and coach Michael Cassidy shared the minutes around the entire team down the stretch but the Aussies were able to win the second half with Aiden Krause (five points, two assists), Isaiah Lee (two points, four assists, three steals) and Josh Gatbel (four points, five rebounds) all having an impact while Froling (20 points, ten rebounds, two assists, four blocks) finished with a big double-double.

Find the box score here.

Despite the disappointment of falling in the final, the Australians put together an outstanding tournament, especially considering the absence of Kody Stattmann and a roster of just ten players throughout the campaign.

The 2018 silver medal will sit alongside a gold from 2010, another silver from 1998 and two bronze medals from 1994 and 2008.

In addition, Callum Dalton was named to the tournament All-Star Five. He averaged 13 points, 6.3 rebounds (13th overall) and one block (11th) per game as well as coming up with a monster stat-line of 30 points, eight boards and five assists to lead Australia to victory in the Semi-Final.

Australia has claimed their fifth medal at the Albert Schweitzer Tournament, earning silver after falling to host nation Germany in the final, 66-86.