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The final IABL battle in Batumi (Georgia) and the third in a turn IABL champions title for Riga Rumba/LSPA (Latvia)!

On May 31– June 3, 2018 in Batumi, a Black sea resort in Georgia, the final 7-th International amateur basketball league (IABL) championship came to the finish with persistent fights. After an amazing game that even required an overtime, the Latvian representatives of Riga Rumba/LSPA team held out the Kaunas KKL attacks and has defeated the champion‘s title.

On the day of May 31, all six teams had to play extra subgroup game each. The Swedish yielded to Kaunas team 69:95, the Latvians defeated Sankt – Petersburgh 82:41, whereas after a fierce fight, the representatives from Moscow had to recognize the superiority of Vilnius „Tegra“ 100:102.
After the subgroup games, followed the quarterfinal, where the representatives from Moscow, the capital of Russia were defeated by Kaunas team in a result 87:78, and the other ones Sankt – Petersburgh resisted Swedish team „Hogan“ (82:66).

Next day, during the semifinal Riga Rumba/LSPA team quite easily gained a victory against Sankt – Petersburgh team (90:65), and during the following semifinal in “ Lithuanian“ derby Kaunas team defeated the representatives from Vilnius 75:68.

On the last finals day ( June 2) in the Little Finale only after a fierce fight , requiring much strength, for the third position Vilnius „Tegra“ defeated Sankt – Petersburgh 80:70.
And in the Grand Finale , the game between last year IABL champion Riga Rumba/LSPA (Latvia) and Kaunas KKL was a true adornment of the overall tournament, where the teams fighted without saving themselves. Passion and emotions were flowing free. There were technical and disqualification fouls during the game. In order to identify the winner of the game, there was an overtime as the teams were short of regular time. And just during the last moments of the game, the Latvians proved their advantage (72:71) and for the third time in turn has become the winner of IABL 2017/2018 tournament. Well, the representatives from Kaunas were so close to take the crown off the IABL champions.

During the party in a restaurant of Georgian cuisine „VOX“ (on the22-nd floor), the teams were awarded with nice cups and medals. The best players of each team were awarded with remembrance prizes as well.

There are some new teams, interested in the next IABL season, which might bring fresh ideas and confusion into the tournament standing. The application to participate has already been submitted by Russian amateur basketball team Moscow MGU – a team of university of Lomonosov, Georgian amateur basketball combined team from Tbilisi, as well as champions of BLKL London TOP Team (England), and another team from Malmö in Sweden, trained by a coach from Serbia with an ambition to gather a competitive team, consider the possibility to join IABL championship, as well as the return of old- timer from Kiev ( the Ukraine) is expected.

The seriousness of teams ‘intensions will be clarified at the end of the summer, and the decision regarding the system of the tournament organization will be taken.

IABL express great gratitude to Georgian basketball federation, its president Paata Guraspauli, as well as to Secretary General of Georgian basketball amateur league Mikheil Amashukeli and the president of the league Erekle Amashukeli for the assistance in organizing the final tournament in Batumi!