Maher delight as GB women book EuroBasket qualification

By Sportsbeat staff

GREAT Britain's women's basketball coach Tom Maher believes qualification for next summer's EuroBasket is just the beginning for his team.

IMPRESSIVE: Julia Page was the stand-out performer as Great Britain's women booked their first-ever EuroBasket finals appearance in Liverpool

Julia Page led the way with 18 points and nine rebounds as Great Britain booked their first appearance in the European Championship finals with a  77-59 win over Germany in Liverpool.

Jo Leedham added 15 points while Kim Butler weighed in with 12, meaning a relieved Maher can now take his side to the final qualifier in the Ukraine this weekend, knowing the pressure is off.

"We can win games, and this team has massive potential to improve," he said.

“At the start of the campaign we wouldn’t have qualified, but when we started playing some games you could see the progress had taken us to the point we could win games.

"We came to prove we could be competitive and I think we’ve done that. 

“When we won in Slovakia we did it by flat-out sticking at it and keeping on being aggressive. 

"We ran over Germany and Julie gave us a great start with her rebounding. It’s a matter of being there all of the time and competing all the time – it was a magnificent effort.”