Kaba magic inspires Guinea past Mali

CAIRO (Egypt) - Ousmane Araphan Kaba and Kabinet Kaba combined for 25 points and 22 rebounds to help Guinea edge past title favorites Mali 63-60 in a heavily contested tie at the FIBA U18 African Championship on Saturday at the Cairo Stadium.

Mali got off to an impressive start leading 18-12 in the first quarter but Guinea maintained pressure on the ball with the back court doing most of the dirty work. 

Guinea point guard Mehdi Lesbarreres, who did not feature in their first tie against Egypt, brought energy to the third quarter and his quick feet troubled the Malian defense on both ends of the court. 

His commitment on defense brought Guinea within reach of Mali and when they established a 58-53, the Malians body language displayed fear. Fear of an unwanted loss at this point in the tournament and by the time they woke up with 20 seconds to play, it was too late. 

Mali now find themselves in a difficult position having lost two games out of two played while Guinea will be celebrating all night after picking their first win. 

"We missed 14 free throws and lost the game by three points so you can see that had we made them, we would be having a different conversation. However, we must keep our heads up and focus on our next game against Egypt," explained Mali coach Alhadji Dicko.

Guinea face Senegal in another West African derby that will go a long way in defining the table standings of the Group Phase. The highest ranked team will face the fourth-placed one while the second takes on the third. The winners will qualify for the final and ultimately the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2021.  

FIBA