It's Kenya v Egypt in Afrobasket qualifiers final
Kenya's Felmas Koranga goes for a layup during their semi-finals match of the Afrobasket qualifiers against Rwanda at the Kigali Arena on July 16, 2021.
What you need to know:
- Kenya overcame hosts Rwanda 79-52 in a thrilling semi-final to set up a final showdown with Egypt, who hammered 99-65 South Sudan in the other last four encounter.
- The North Africans, who are the favourites for the only slot to the AfroBasket reserved for this zone, maintained their unbeaten run in the tournament with the win over the newcomers.
In Kigali, Rwanda
Kenya will face Egypt for the sole ticket to the Fiba AfroBasket final on Saturday.
The two sides won their semi-final clashes in emphatic fashion at the Kigali Arena in Kigali, Rwanda.
Egypt crushed South Sudan 99-65 in the first semi-final before Kenya blew away hosts Rwanda 79-52 in the second semis.
The north African, who are the favourites, maintained their unbeaten run with their fourth romp of the tournament.
Raneem El Gedawy top scored for Egypt in the semis with 16 points.
She has really been the star of the tournament, with a tourney haul of 42 points thus far.
“This was a good win for the team. We played defensively as a team to maintain our lead throughout the game,” said Gedaway.
The tournament has so far been played under extraordinary conditions brought about by the raging Covid-19 pandemic.
Matches have been played at the magnificent Kigali Arena behind closed doors. So you can imagine exiting basketball on the court but no single beat of African drum, song or even a vuvuzela bleat from the fans as the stands are all empty.
Because of travel restrictions visitors have also been unable to see the country’s tourist sights such as the land of a thousand hills.
And starting today the government has put Kigali under total lockdown for 10 days to tackle the third wave of the viral infection.
Kenya assistant head of delegation Angela Luchivya gave the Rwanda health protocols a thumbs up.
“The authorities here have managed to shield the teams from making any contact or interactions with the locals here. We have been put in a bubble from the time we landed her,” she said.
Smooth
Judging by the smooth flow of the championship, it was clear that what was pencilled down during planning was implemented to the letter on the ground with the health of the teams and the officials being a top priority throughout the tournament.
Four nations, Kenya, South Sudan, Egypt and are participating in the qualifiers.
The sole ticket to the AfroBasket finals will be secured in Saturday’s final.
The continental showpiece will be held for September 17 to 26 in Yaoundé, Cameroon.
