PRETORIA (South Africa) - There will be a champion FIBA U18 AfroBasket champions following reigning champions Egypt's elimination in the Quarter-Finals.
Joining Egypt in the list of former U18 AfroBasket champions, who won't step on the podium on Saturday, September 14 at University of Pretoria are Angola.
We proud of our achievement now we are aiming for the final - Morocco's Rayane Solhi
Here's everything you need to know about Thursday's action in the U18 AfroBasket 2024.
Senegal sent defending champions Egypt packing
Senegal won 68-61 to advance to the Semi-Final.
Twenty-three points and eight from Cheick Biteye set Senegal on course for victory.
Code Mbengue's double-double (10 points and 14 rebounds) and Ousseynou Sambe's 12 points and nine rebounds added to the West African nation's collective effort.
Anas Rezk led Egypt with 21 points.
Under a minute remaining, Biteye's solitary free-throw and a couple from point guard Tidiane D'Almeida stretched the lead (62-58) for Senegal.
D'Almeida would return three more times and made his full compliment of points.
Morocco outclass Angola
Morocco coasted to a 61-45 victory over Angola in the day's first Quarter-Final.
For coach Nizar Mesbahi and his players, the historic win means Morocco presents a first-time appearance in the Semi-Finals of the U18 AfroBasket.
"It means a lot to us. It is the first time Morocco has made the semi-final in the U18 AfroBasket. We proud of our achievement now we are aiming for the final," said Rayane Solhi.
Young stars Rayane Solhi (22 points, six rebounds, three assists and five steals) and Omar Karem (18 points, four rebounds and three assists) were the catalysts of Morocco's victory.
Solhi reflected on him and Karem setting the tone early for Morocco.
"It's the most important part. If I get in the game or Omar gets in the game, then they can't stop us. If Omar gets in the game and I don't, it's easy to play defence on us. If we are both in the game, everyone follows because we are the leaders on offence," said Solhi
The dynamic duo of Karem and Solhi got Morocco to an early 7-0 lead. Karem hit a three while Solhi got his floater to land over his defender. For his second bucket, he drove between defenders to extend Morocco's lead.
With five minutes of play gone, Solhi led all scorers with seven. Angola managed to reduce the deficit to two (10-8). Youdela scored a corner three and layup for his five points.
Morocco dominantly finished the first half. Solhi scored 14, while Karem had 10 for the 37-25 lead.
The North Africans took advantage of turnovers (20 points) and fastbreaks (10 points).
Threes from Solhi and Karem stretched Morocco's lead (45-27). The difference between the two teams was their energy. Morocco looked ready for this battle - while Angola were going through the motions.
Neto injected some life into Angola with two buckets, and his teammates responded in kind. Substitutes Leandro Carvalho and Adilson Muandumba helped cut the lead to seven (45-38).
Morocco ended the quarter with some breathing space with free throws from Rayane Moukrim free throws and a Mohammed Bahmad bucket for the 49-38 lead.
The final quarter saw Angola battled for buckets, managing only 7, while Morocco added 12 for their memorable win.
Solhi says they are staying grounded ahead of the final.
"We staying humble. We worked for this victory and we will work for the next one. We will leave everything on the court trying to get to the final," said Solhi.
Debutant Cameroon headed to semis
Cameroon out-muscled Rwanda to claim a historic Semi-Final spot in their tournament debut.
We have not been to this competition, so to get this far. We want to go further - Cameroon head coach Kevin Ngwesse.
Giant centre Amadou Seini's 15 points, 23 rebounds and two steals led Cameroon to the 67-53 victory. His teammates, Herman Bel (15 points, seven rebounds and three assists) and Daryl Baya (12 points) contributed to Cameroon's win.
Rwanda's Dylan Kayijuka led his country in scoring with 19.
Both teams played the first half at a high tempo, and five minutes into the second quarter, the East Africans (Rwanda) were 25-24 up.
Cameroon's Fredy Tchakounte rose above the Rwanda defence for a huge slam, while a Herman Bel spin move in the paint and one-handed release gave the Cubs a 28-25 lead.
Rwanda would respond to a 7-0 run by Cameroon with a Hilar Irankunda baseline jumper and a fastbreak dunk by Mwesigwa, who led the scoring at half-time with 12 points.
Camroon's Bel had 10 points, while his country also held the lead (36-32) in the first half.
A 5-0 run gave Cameroon a nine-point lead (41-34) with four minutes of the quarter gone, but Kayijuka single-handedly reduced the deficit to one (41-40) with a drive in layup and two threes for the 8-0 run for Rwanda.
Cameroon would add 10 points, while Rwanda scored nine at the close of the third quarter.
The Cameroonians, leading 51-49 heading into the fourth, took a six-point lead (55-49), with Seini dominating the paint with two early buckets, but free throws from Kayijuka reduced the score to four.
A 7-0 run by Cameroon with five points from Baya, which included a bucket, a three and a Seini monster dunk, gave the Central Africans a 62-51.
The Rwandans were worn out by the physicality of the Cameroonians, who outrebounded them 64-48. Their bench (Cameroon) also contributed 24 points.
"This win and making it to the semi-finals means a lot. For the country and the team, it means a lot. We have not been to this competition, so to get this far. We want to go further," said Cameroon coach Kevin Ngwesse.
Mali outlast resilient Nigeria
Two-time champions Mali advanced to the last four after overcoming six-time champions Nigeria 81-70 on Thursday night.
Youssouf Traore's double-double (17 points and 14 rebounds) were crucial to Mali's victory.
The Malians had four players score in double digits. Ibrahim Doumbia (17), Mamadou Traore (17), Mamadou Diarra (14) and Sekou Bagayoko (12).
Nigeria were led in scoring by Isaac Ezekiel's 24 points.
Classification Round matchups
In the Classification Round for the 11th-Place, Zambia recorded their second win in the tournament, beating Uganda 61-54 while Côte d'Ivoire beat hosts South Africa XX-XX in the 9th-Place game clash.
Top highlight
Top performer
Best picture
FIBA