Basketball On The Internet.

OUR bronzed Baby Boomers are heading home from FIBA’s World Under-17 Championship in Dubai with the Silver Medal after scaring the hockey-pucks out of the USA in the Gold Medal game today.

It was another outstanding achievement for our up-and-comers and one of which Australia, as a nation, can assuredly be very proud.

Sure, the Yanks ultimately got home 99-92 but it was their toughest clash of the tournament, the USA going into the Final with a “Dream Team”-esque winning average of 43.3 points per game.

They had lost a total of two quarters in their six lead-up games, the players drawn from a US population of 317 million in a country where basketball is a major sport.

Contrast that with the Aussies who embodied the Anzac spirit, as we always must, punching-above-our-weight from a country of barely 24 million and where basketball is barely a minor sport, when not an afterthought.

Isaac Humphries and Dejan Vasiljevic both were named in the Tournament All Star Five, Australia also drawing excellent performances from Tom Wilson, Harry Froling, Matt Owies, Kouat Noi and Kyle Clark in a memorable chyampionship.

Humphries was hampered with foul trouble in the Final but Vasiljevic and Wilson stepped up with 29 and 23 points respectively.

From 7-7, the Aussies stunned the favourites with a 10-0 run, the last six points on consecutive Vasiljevic triples.

By the first break, the USA was back ahead 28-27 but Aussies only know one way – to keep battling the odds.

At halftime the margin was seven at 43-50 and a 9-0 US run during the third made it 65-52 for the reigning champs.

Mark Watkins’ crew has had to fight back from double-digit deficits before, shaving it back to five before still looking down the barrel, behind 64-74 with a period to play.

That was extended out to 15 halfway through the quarter but only served to ignite a 9-0 Aussie backlash.

Down 10 into the last 90 seconds, Noi and Vasiljevic both delivered triples as the Aussies fought it out to the siren.

It was a gutsy effort by a team we can be proud of - and players about whom we will hear much more of - in a great week for Australian basketball on the international stage.

MEANWHILE in Nice, France, the Boomers’ World Cup preparation hardly missed a beat as they swamped Philippines 97-75.

Coach Andrej Lemanis didn’t suit David Andersen or Joe Ingles but had half of his team score in double figures.

San Antonio Spurs NBA Championship-winner Aron Baynes led the way with 15 points and Ryan Broekhoff followed his 5-of-7 threes in the win over Ukraine with his 14 points including 4-of-7 triples.

Cleveland Cavs playmaker Matthew Dellavedova and Gran Canaria-based Brad Newley both had 13 points, Nathan Jawai with 10 points.

Dante Exum had a solid game, his lob to Jawai for the slam reinforcing a message first delivered by Baynes with his fast break two-handed slam to open the game.

France is next on the schedule overnight.