CAIRO (Egypt) - Kenya made it to the final of the 2026 U18 Women's AfroBasketball Qualifiers for Zone 5 teams, ultimately threatening Egypt's dominance. However, they fell short of expectations.
Trixy Ochieng sank one of her free throws to open the scoring, but Egypt scored 23 unanswered points to make their intentions clear in the regional qualifier.
They ultimately won 85-30 over a Kenya team that never posed a threat as expected.
The 55-point gap tells the story of the game better than anything: It was a one-sided affair.
Kenya looked nothing like the team that had reached the Zone 5 finals with two straight wins over Rwanda and Tanzania.
They struggled to make shots, finishing with a shocking 15% field-goal percentage, and turned the ball over 46 times. Egypt scored 52 points off these turnovers.
The disparity between the two teams was immense, with all eleven Egyptians scoring at least three points each. Hania Hassabelnaby led the way with 14 points.
Rwanda's Joyce Kagiri finished with a team-high nine points.
Egypt concluded the 2026 U18 Women's AfroBasket qualifiers with a perfect 5–0 record, securing the region's automatic qualification for the final round, which is scheduled for May 5–16 in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.
Rwanda bounce back to finish third
Just five days after losing 60-58 to Tanzania on the opening day of the regional qualifier in Cairo, Rwanda fought back, beating their neighboring country 64-60.
The win secured Rwanda's third-place finish in the 2026 U18 Women's AfroBasket Qualifiers for Zone 5 teams.
Zone 5 Final Standings:
1. Egypt 5-0 2. Kenya 2-3 3. Rwanda 2-3 4. Tanzania 1-4
FIBA