Boomers Suffer Disappointing Defeat Against Croatia

The Boomers have had a disappointing start to their Olympic campaign, with a loss to Croatia on their opening night.

It was the first game for the Australian team in the men’s preliminary rounds and whilst they began the game with a confident start, Croatia were 16 points up at half time. Croatia’s outside shooting was impressive, hitting seven of eight three-pointers and extending their lead over Australia.

Captain Matt Nielson was the top scorer for the Boomers, with 13 points. Shawn Redhage, the sole WA representative on the Olympic basketball team, scored six points, despite limited court time. Redhage scored four points from the field and another two from free throws. He made an assist to score and a steal from Croatia, all in just six minutes on the court.

The defeat to Croatia comes as a shock due to the Boomer’s impressive performances in recent practice games. The final score of 97-82 was damaging to the team’s chance of making the quarter finals, as they need to secure a minimum of two wins to stay in the running for the next round.