Playing in their first-ever U18 Final and under the watchful eye of 7,000 fans in Arena Riga, Latvia struggled to find a solution to halt the big man duo of Marko Pecarski and Filip Petrusev, as Serbia headed into the locker room with a 54-41 half-time advantage.
Latvian guards Arturs Zagars and Valters Veveris sparked a comeback in the second half, combining for 46 points, but it was too little too late, as the Serbians stayed calm in the clutch to carry their lead over the finish line.
Serbia's twin towers Pecarski and Petrusev had already tasted the winning feeling at last year's tournament in Slovakia and have now helped Serbia become the first team to defend their U18 crown since Turkey in 2014. Pecarski finished the game with 34 points and 13 rebounds, while Petrusev added 29 points and 8 rebounds.
Both were selected into the All-Star Five of the event, with Pecarski taking home MVP honors, after leading the tournament in points and rebounds.
They were joined in the lineup by Zagars, as well as Russia's Nikita Mikhailovskii and France's Joel Ayayi.
Mikhailovskii and Ayayi had faced each other in the Third-Place Game, with France gaining the upper hand and finishing on the podium with a 79-70 win, after Ayayi scored 20 of his 22 points in the second half to turn the tables for the Frenc
