TWO Penarth teenagers helped Wales to their best ever finish in the European Under-16 Basketball Championships.

Carys Allen, 16, and Emily Skinner, 15, were part of the team which finished fourth in the championships in Andorra.

Allen, who just finished her GCSEs at St Cyres, was Wales' top scorer with 61 points. The total was the second highest of any player in the tournament and she was given one of five 'All Star' awards for the competition’s top players.

She described the tournament as one of the best she ever played in and said winning an 'All Star' award for the second year running was “overwhelming”.

But she announced she was giving up basketball to concentrate on her career as a netball international.

Stanwell pupil Skinner was a newcomer to the team but played 45 minutes and scored eight points.

“It was a fantastic experience and a massive honour to represent my country. It was great spending time with the team,” she said.

Wales U-16s played five games in Andorra, and got to the semi-final of the competition for the first time. They were eliminated by the eventual champions Iceland.