Basketball
Morans Finish Sixth at 2023 FIBA Afrocan Championships
Kenya’s men’s national basketball team, Morans, concluded their campaign at the ongoing 2023 FIBA Afrocan Championships in Luanda, Angola, finishing in sixth place.
In the fifth-place playoff match held at the Pavilhão Multiusos de Luanda Arena, Morans fell to Tunisia with a score of 59-67. This followed their earlier victory against Nigeria, where they won 61-59 in the first classification match at the same venue.
Tunisia secured the fifth-place position, while Angola claimed seventh place after defeating Nigeria 72-69 in the seventh-place playoff. Nigeria finished in eighth place. Morans started slowly in the match against Tunisia, narrowly losing the first quarter 13-14. However, they made a comeback in the second quarter, winning 13-08 and taking a 26-22 lead into halftime.
After halftime, Tunisia regrouped and dominated the third quarter, outscoring Kenya 25-13. The two teams scored even in the final quarter, which ended 20-20.
Bramwel Mwombe Muchina, based in Tanzania, and Derrick Makenye Ogechi, based in the United States, once again showcased their skills, contributing a combined 23 points for Kenya. Tom Bush Wamukota, based in Rwanda, added eight points to the team’s efforts.
Tunisia’s Jawhar Jawadi, Firas Lahiani, and Achref Gannouni were the standout performers for their team, scoring a combined 47 points to secure the victory.
The championship will conclude on Sunday with new finalists Cote d’Ivoire, who defeated Rwanda 74-71 in the semifinals, facing off against Morocco, who defeated defending champions DRC Congo 76-69 in the second semifinal. DRC Congo will compete against Rwanda in the third-place playoff match before the final.
The FIBA Afrocan tournament requires that at least fifty per cent of the players participate in local leagues, with only two foreign-based players allowed on each team. The rest of the players can come from other African companies.
The first edition of the championship took place in 2019 in Bamako, Mali, where Kenya finished as runners-up to DR Congo.