Hill climbs highest mountain to rescue Indomitable Lions

    Game Report

    The battle between Cameroon and Nigeria will decide which team tops Group B.

    LUANDA (Angola) - Jeremiah Hill had to figuratively play out of his socks and sneakers to lead the Indomitable Lions to a hard-fought 80-77 victory against Madagascar at the Pavilhao Multiusos de Luanda on Friday night.

    Hill's team-high 21 points, which included a floater at the death, heaved Cameroon to a 2-0 record in Group B. Hill also delivered seven dimes. And one of the recipients was Williams Narace, who scored 15 points.

    Madagascar's Kiady Razanamahenina led the scoring in the game with 29 points, while youngsters Mathias M'Madi (16) and Lovasoa Andriatsarafara (11 points and 13 rebounds) bravely rose to the occasion.

    With 6:40 into the game, M'Madi scored at will to get his six points against the Cameroonians, piercing through to defenders for a layup, a midrange jumper in the paint and a baseline drive layup that kissed the backboard before landing inside. Malagasy led by a point (8-7) and showed that they would compete regardless of the stature of their opponents.

    William Narace, who also scored six in the quarter, put up a pair of free throws, and Samir Gbetkom scored a solitary point from the free throw line to give Cameroon a 14-12 lead at the end of the quarter.

    Both teams traded buckets and highlight plays. Sitraka Raharimanantoanina received a defence-splitting ball from M'Madi, and while the Lions went on sleep defence, he got the single-hand jam to cut the lead to one (25-24).

    Tamenang Choh made sure Cameroon would not be outdone - from the corner, he dribbled and leapt through traffic for the spectacular baseline dunk at 5:54 minutes.

    Six free throws from Bayehe would end the stair-down between the two teams. The first pair tied the game 37-37, and the next two put distance between Cameroon and Madagascar. Hill extended Cameroon's run with five more points with two minutes left, and they headed into half-time with a 46-38 lead.

    Cameroon were hanging on in the third quarter. A big three from Fabian Ateba after receiving a dime at centre from Tamenag Choh made it a 10-point game (54-44), but M'Madi responded with a trey of his own at the 6:03 mark to try to keep Madagascar alive.

    They caught up with back-to-back buckets from Andriatsarafara, while Razanamahenina, who was fouled with seconds left while attempting a three-pointer. Razanamahenina sank all three attempts and in another trip to the charity stripe, he made both attempts to tie the game 61-61.

    A Narace three-pointer with 31 seconds left decided the quarter in Cameroon's favour (66-63).

    It became a battle of wills, and with six minutes played in the final quarter, the lead changed three times before Madagascar took a five-point lead (75-70) with Kiady scoring six points. The Lions clawed their way back through Hill's free throws and three-pointer (75-75). Alfred Aboya's men regained the lead with solitary free throws from Ateba and Hill.

    TURNING POINT: With only seconds remaining, Hill attacked the Malagasy defence. Upon reaching the paint and meeting a defender, he kept his composure, stepped back on one leg, and softly floated the ball off the backboard, dropping it into the basket to give his team a 79-75 lead.

    Kiady tried to keep the Ankoay in flight with a jumper, but from the inbound, Hill was fouled and his solitary free throw saw the Lions huff and puff to victory.

    HERO: With big man Yves Missi sitting out, Hill carried Cameroon on his back with clutch plays and maintained his composure against the Malagasy. Hill showed quiet leadership on the court, which won the night for Cameroon.

    STATS DON'T LIE: Despite sweating for the victory, Cameroon were head and shoulders above Madagascar statistically. The Lions capitalised on turnovers for 11 points, added 19 more through fast breaks and second-chance opportunities, outscored Madagascar 34–28 in the paint, and saw their bench contribute a solid 23 points.

    BOTTOM LINE: The close win over Madagascar served as a wake-up call to Cameroon that rivals will come out swinging to test their resolve.

    FIBA

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