Historic! Belgian Cats advance to the final of the European Championship for the first time

After the bronze medal at the European Championships in 2017 and 2021, it will now be at least silver for the Belgian Cats. The Belgians win 67-63. thanks to brilliant performances by the West Flemish duo Meesseman-Vanloo.

What a start

The Cats set the pace from the start of the game under the leadership of the ubiquitous Emma Meesseman. The first quarter ended 18-8. The Ypres Meesseman was good for no fewer than fourteen of the eighteen points.

Julie Vanloo from Deerlijk took a while to get going. Once the engine started, there was no stopping her. Vanloo scored five three-pointers at halftime. The French always had trouble with the high pressure and razor-sharp counters of the Belgians, who entered the dressing rooms with a 44-30 lead.

Sloppy

France fought back into the game after the break, partly thanks to a lot of ball loss from the Cats. Chartereau took her team in tow with some important three-pointers and ensured that France regained confidence. Before the break, barely one of the nine three-point attempts fell into France, after the break it was a lot better. The third quarter ended 54-46.

A true thriller!

The last ten minutes had to give way, then it was Kyara Linskens from Bruges who did more than her job defensively and also provided the necessary points offensively. Emma Meesseman once again proved why she is perhaps the best player in this tournament. At the right moments, she widened the gap by some key points. The French kept fighting and came closer and closer, but eventually lost 67-63.

The Cats are doing it! They win the semi-final and advance to the final of the European Championship against Spain.