The Israel National Women’s Basketball Team will be heading to Riga for their final two European Championship qualifying games against Latvia and France which will take place this coming Thursday and Sunday respectively. While these will both be homes games due to the security situation in Israel, the blue-and-white, who are in third place in their group with a 2-2 record, will first need to beat Latvia in order to have a chance to qualify for the continental championship. Israel tipped off against Latvia about a year ago and fell in dramatic fashion 86-83 in their first meeting.

Head Coach Sharon Drucker spoke about the upcoming challenge, “I’m hoping that there will be no injuries and illnesses. It’s clear to everyone that this is the decisive window and we will give everything we can. The system is cruel and that makes it very complicated. We won’t give up and as long as there is a chance we will fight for it. The preparations have been great and the team is highly motivated and very committed and has a lot of passion for the game.”

“We are focusing on Latvia first and foremost and not at any other opponent. While the balance of power is clear, we will always try to win. We will come in to give it our all against France, butright now our sole focus is on Latvia. There is nothing that the squad wants more than to advance to the European Championship. I know them really well and at the end of the day, we have to look at whether the whole of the team is greater than the sum of its parts and that is what I always look for, certainly in the national team.”

Captain Eden Rotberg added, “The game against Latvia is a key game. We have been practicing as hard as possible since last week. We will watch the video and prepare as best as possible. From our point of view, we need to win and move forward from there. The game against Latvia last year was painful for all of us, but precisely because we remember it, we will do everything to win. We need to come in with full focus and I think we can do it.”