PRETORIA (South Africa) - Familiar foes Mali and Cameroon will renew ties in the FIBA U18 AfroBasket 2024 Final on Saturday at the University of Pretoria.
Mali, the two-time champions, have had an undefeated journey throughout the tournament, while reached the Championship Game with a 3-2 mark (1-2 in the Group Phase).
The last time Cameroon and Mali faced off last week in Pretoria, the latter prevailed 62-58.
Now, it's the title game, and Mali will look to cap it off by securing a third continental crown with the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup qualification they earned by beating Senegal in the Last Four.
Moussa Cisse's young men faced their biggest adversity in the knockout stages against Nigeria (Quarter-Final) and Senegal (Semi-Final).
Against both teams, Mali needed the final minutes of the fourth quarter to pull away, and should a similar scenario present itself against Cameroon, the Malians would know they have high-IQ players who can deliver the goods when the pressure is on.
Youssouf Traore (12.4 points and 16.6 rebounds) is an MVP candidate.
He is a player who understands his role, which is to be present in the paint. His scoring and rebounding have carried Mali. Ousmane Bagayoko (16 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.2 assists) is a player who can catch fire at any point in the game. His third-quarter 14-point performance against Senegal exemplifies a player who can thrive in high-pressure situations.
Cameroon started well with an opening victory over Cote d'Ivoire, but they stuttered out of the group stages - losing consecutive games against Mali and Senegal.
But the young Cameroonians found a second wind to triumph over Rwanda (Quarter-Final) and Morocco (Semi-Final).
The Central African nation (Cameroon) has shown in the two knockout stages that they carry a big punch, especially in the fourth quarter.
Cameroon will look to players like big man Amadou Seini (12.2 points and 16.2 rebounds) to dominate in the paint as he has done in previous games. Herman Bel (10.8 points and 10 rebounds) is an athletic forward who can give opposition defense sleepless nights.
Kevin Ngwesse can also look to Scott Ejenguele (9.8 points) and Freddy Tchakounte (8.6 points) for depth in scoring.
The Final between the two nations promises to be thrilling, given the quality and capability of both teams. Fans will be in for a treat.
FIBA