Good Angels Kosice will have plenty of players at the club with renewed confidence heading into the new season.

They are veterans, and youngsters.

Ivana Jalcova played a pivotal role for Slovakia as they booked a place at the EuroBasket Women for a second consecutive time.

On the ropes against Germany, the Slovakians got a lift from Jalcova whose two free-throws at the end and 14 points overall were crucial in a game Slovakia had to win to qualify.

They ended up prevailing, 73-67.

"I've practiced them (free-throws) my entire life so I don't get nervous," Jalcova said.

Slovakia seem to lose their concentration in games.

In the victory over Germany, Pokey Chatman's side outscored the Germans 23-12 in the third quarter to take a 12-point advantage and with the Kosice crowd rocking, everything was going according to plan.

But in the fourth quarter, Slovakia's offense grinded to a halt.

They scored just five points.

"We did, in the final quarter, make it difficult when we made a lot of mistakes ... at least this victory was sweeter in the end," Jalcova said.

The most important aspect of the triumph is that Slovakia will be in Poland next summer for the Final Round.

Something that coach Pokey Chatman told her players last year was not to just play hard, but to have fun.

"We're going to enjoy it," Jalcova said of Poland.

As for the young, 15-year-old point guard Barbora Bálintová celebrated a promotion-winning campaign with Slovakia at the U16 European Championship for Women Division B in Skopje, FYR of Macedonia.

Third in the tournament at 15.9 points per game, Bálintová is a member of Kosice's junior team.

In the crunch Semi-Final against Portugal, a game the team needed to win to seal promotion, Bálintová had 16 points, seven rebounds and five assists but did turn the ball over six times.

The only down side to the success for Bálintová is that she will be a year older, which means she won't be able to play in the U16 Division A.

"I am sorry a bit," she said, "but I'm glad the other girls have won the chance to play in top A-Division."