U16 AfroBasket Men: Defending Champions Guinea Suffers Group Stage Exit

Defending Champions Guinea Suffers Group Stage Exit

On Monday at Petit Stade de Kigali, Uganda secured their first victory of the tournament by defeating the defending champions, Guinea, with a score of 73–53. This result meant that Guinea were eliminated, having lost all three of their games, and ensuring that a new champion would be crowned in Kigali. It was Uganda's first win in the tournament, and it provided them a fighting chance of making it to the next round.

Pierre Laurent Rwuhiriro was the top performer for Uganda, finishing with 13 points, 19 rebounds, two assists and two steals. He was strongly assisted by Shane Kwizera, who led the team in scoring with 14 points, while Lucas Ssenyonjo added 13 points and six rebounds as well. Meanwhile, Alpha Oumar Traoré, who scored 10 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, and Massa Pierre Touré, who contributed 10 points, were the top performers, but they couldn't prevent a loss. Also, they couldn't prevent a third consecutive defeat.

Guinea started the game strongly and were leading by as much as 7 points in the opening quarter, managing to maintain their advantage throughout the first two quarters, taking points off turnovers from the East Africans. By the time the game got to the halftime point, the surprise winners and defending champions were holding on to a narrow four-point lead (29–25) over Uganda, who were also seeking a first win in Kigali.

The game wore a different look when Uganda tied the game midway through the third quarter at 34–34. A brilliant defensive approach by the Junior Silverbacks increased their belief that this was up for grabs, especially after seeing the Guineans struggle in that quarter, and they went on to register a 21-15 run to increase their lead overall as they head into the final quarter.

The final quarter served its own drama as well, and Uganda had the momentum and wasted no time in controlling the fourth quarter. The Guineans eventually struggled more in that final quarter as they failed to cope with their opponent's pace, paint dominance, and superior shooting efficiency throughout the game, and ended up closing it out with a meagre 9 points against 27 by the East Africans. The group phase concludes with Uganda finishing with a record of 1–2, and defending champions Guinea exited with a record of 0–3.

[Photography Courtesy of FIBA]