Basketball in Africa

The Silverbacks got exactly what they wanted by defeating arch rivals Rwanda 79-63 on Sunday at Palais des Sports Salamatou Maiga in Bamako, Mali.
Robinson Opong and Jimmy Enabu scored 20 and 18 points respectively to lead the Silverbacks in a game Rwanda was suffocated by Uganda’s defense especially in the second quarter. James Okello and Stanley Ocitti came in handy with 10 points respectively.
Meanwhile for Rwanda, it was their star shooting guard Kenneth Gasana, Hamza Ruhezamihigo and Walter Nkurunziza who got into double figures with 16, 11 and 11 points respectively.
With the second leg of the qualifiers coming in late June at a venue yet to be determined, Uganda have a base to build on a bid to make the final qualifying round and ultimately the World Cup in China.
Uganda will need to finish among the top three in Group B after the second leg to make the final qualifying round of 12 teams from which the top five will make the global championship as continental representatives.