Basketball in Africa

DESPITE suffering a defeat to Somalia's Garowe, the hosts of the East and Central Africa Inter-city basketball tournament, 'Dar Dream Team' are likely to qualify for the semi-finals of the ongoing event at the National Indoor Stadium.
Dream Team, who have won their first two games in the tournament, failed to utilise the home ground advantage and lost 83-68 to Garowe in a game that was dominated by the Somalis.
Garowe's Feisal Aden and Abdi Faras led the demolition after scoring 34 and 16 points respectively in a game they dominated in all quarters.
They won the first quarter 18-13 and scored 22-14 points in the second.
They won the third quarter 18-15 and added 25-21 points in the last. The victory has assured Garowe a place in the semis from Pool A.
Lusajo Samwel and Erick Lugora led the score for Dar Dream Team, after scoring 12 and 8 points respectively.
Cairo are also assured of a ticket to the semis in pool B after winning all their matches. The team from the land of the Pharaohs outsmarted compatriots Hargeisa 116-71 in an earlier match at the same venue on Thursday.
They won three quarters and seemed to be too good for their opponents who struggled to catch up with their speed. Cairo won the first two quarters 37-11 and 34-12 respectively.
However, they slipped in the third after losing 18-20 before regaining their tempo to lead 27-26 in the breathtaking last quarter.
In another game, South Sudan's Juba trounced Mombasa 63-58 points. The Kenya coastal city's team have lost all their matches since the tournament threw off on Tuesday.
Tanga got a walkover following Arusha's failure to turn up. The event reaches its climax on Sunday.