Friday, June 30
Uganda 116-49 Tanzania
Uganda’s Junior Silverbacks have qualified for the 2023 FIBA U16 African championship.
The tournament is due June 12-23 in Tunisia.
The Junior Silverbacks achieved the fate after winning the Zone Five Championship in Kigali, Rwanda.
The side beat Tanzania 116-49 in a dominant performance at LDK Gymnasium.
The game was all but done after the first quarter when the Junior Gazelles opened a 19-point cushion.
Tejan Joel Rugate and Zuri Owiny scored 21 and 20 points respectively while Aaron Victor Makmot added 17 points each in the win.
The tournament attracted just four teams – Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania and Burundi, but the latter was later suspended over fielding over-age players.
Uganda started with beating hosts Rwanda 59-57 before falling to Burundi who were just allowed to play (but with no right to qualify).
Uganda return to the final tournament for the second time having made the debut in Cairo back in 2021.
Five-time champions Egypt, Mali, Algeria, Angola, Guinea, Morocco, Nigeria and hosts Tunisia are the other countries that have already qualified for the finals.
In Tunisia, the top two teams in the competition qualify for the FIBA Under-17 Basketball World Cup due next year in United States.
