Kenyan teams lose again in Zone Five qualifiers
What you need to know:
- South Sudan beat Kenya to finish in fifth place in their first appearance in the competition.
- Egypt and Uganda clash in the men's final with both teams assured of a place in the Fiba Championship.
The national men’s basketball team finished a disappointing sixth place in the ongoing Fiba Afro Basket Zone Five qualifiers after losing 89-84 to South Sudan in a classification match at the Cairo Olympic Centre on Friday night.
The women’s team on the other hand lost 81-76 to Egypt in their final match ending their hopes of qualifying for the Fiba Africa Championship.
The results capped a miserable outing for the two teams in the week-long competition that ends today in the Egyptian capital.
Both the men’s and women's coaches expressed disappointed at the turn of events but noted that a lot of lessons had been picked along the way.
“I think we have good players, who on a good day can beat anyone but we need more exposure and also need better planning before we come for such competitions,” women’s team coach David Maina said.
The women’s team got their campaign off to a good start with a 70-41 win over champions Uganda but subsequent losses to Egypt and Uganda complicated matters for Maina’s charges.
In Friday’s match, they pushed the hosts all the way but were undone by lapses of concentration in the final two quarters.
Kenya were off to a blistering start leading the North Africans 18-17 at the end of the first quarter with impressive displays from guards Belinda Okoth and Betty Kananu.
Egypt would return stronger in the second quarter just managing to outscore Kenya 22-20 to lead 39-38 at halftime.
The last two quarters were evenly balanced with both teams giving their all but the hosts backed by their fans nicked it 22-19 and 20-19 to win by slim margin of just five points.
Egyptian guard Mohamed Yahi Dehgady led her team with 26 points, six rebounds and another six assists. Reem Osama, who destroyed Kenya in their first encounter, sunk 15 points in this encounter.
Kenya’s top performers were Betty Kananu (16) and captain Hilda Indasi (14). Egypt need to avoid defeat against Uganda today to be crowned champions and seal their spot in the continental showpiece set for Bamako, Mali from September 15-24 this year.
South Sudan beat Kenya to finish in fifth place in their first appearance in the competition.
Egypt and Uganda clash in the men's final with both teams assured of a place in the Fiba Championship.
