Basketball in Africa

Yesterday’s results

Mali 76-58 Mozambique
Egypt 105-42 Ivory Coast
Tunisia 64-53 Gabon
Rwanda 71-74 Congo Brazzaville

Today’s fixtures (Day 6)

Ivory Coast vs Gabon – 2.30pm (Green Hills)
Angola vs Tunisia – 4pm
Congo Brazzaville vs Algeria -4.30pm (Green Hills)
Mozambique vs Rwanda – 6pm
Mali vs Nigeria -8pm

RWANDA’s junior hoops have everything to play for this evening when they take on Mozambique in their final group game at Amahoro Indoor Stadium.

The junior hoops felt hard done after yesterday’s 71-74 defeat at the hands of a very physical Congo Brazzaville side.

It was by far Rwanda’s best display in the Afrobasket U-18 Kagame Cup. The head coach Paris Nelson did well as far as raising the team’s confidence levels is concerned.
For the first time in the tournament, the youngsters were driving into the D and making the lay-ups, base-line baskets, converting free throws and above all defending well.

At the end of the four quarters, the difference between the junior hoops and Congo’s red devils was the three-pointers. The Red devils made 15 three-pointers as opposed to Rwanda’s five. Pierre Missakila converted six while Jean Luc Ganogo weighed in with five.

Never-the-less, Nelson is still optimistic that Rwanda will sneak through to the quarters.

“This is a team on the up. They proved that today and I want to assure you that we shall win tomorrow’s game and qualify to the last eight,” the American said.

Earlier in the day, Egypt became the first time to hit the 100points mark when they downed a hapless Ivory Coast side 105-45. The result made it four wins on the trot for the North Africans and further cemented their place at the top of group B with 8 points.