ABIDJAN (Cote d’Ivoire) – Thursday's Group A games were a tale of two extremes.
Côte d'Ivoire dominated Central African Republic, winning 102-13. However, the same could not be said for Uganda and Kenya, which ended with a score of 84-57.
Cote d’Ivoire make merry of Central African Republic
Host Côte d'Ivoire got off to a commanding start in the FIBA U18 Women's AfroBasket Championship, completely demolishing the Central African Republic 102–13 and giving their home fans something to cheer about.
Led by Coach Christelle N'Garsanet the Ivorian team left no doubt about their intentions.
Spurred on by their drumming supporters, they paced the court with effortless ease, confusing their opponents.
By halftime, the score was 54-6, and the team did not slow down. Instead, they resumed at a much higher pace at the start of the second half, pushing the Central African Republic into more foul trouble.
Coach N'Garsanet insists that her team kept the pressure on the Central African Republic, even though they were already ahead, because they needed all the points they could get.
"Pressure, pressure, pressure is the name of the game. It's really because this is the beginning of the competition. We got to figure out what our advantage is. We want to play with a lot of pressure. We want to play fast, and you've got to get used to it. It's the first time they got to get out and succeed. CAF did not just give up; they battled and I appreciate that. I know they had a hard travel. They never gave up,” she former Ivorian international star said.
Marlyne Esther Adahe, with an efficiency rating of 29, had a game-high score of 20 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists to lead the floor.
The quartet of Fatima Diouf (18), Francoise Hawa Kaba (15), Ramatou Dissa (12) and Jean Mary Diamande (11) were all in double figures, while Verdiane Editha was the highest scorer for the Central African Republic.
Reflecting on the game, Editha admitted that it was a disappointing performance for them. "Cote d’Ivoire is a strong team and the result is just disappointing for us. Part of the problem is that our country has not participated in this competition for a long time. This is a learning curve for us and we just have to do better in our other games,” she admitted,
Uganda edge Kenya in battle of East Africans
The Junior Gazelles of Uganda proved they are the better basketball team at this stage when they extended their 5-0 record against Kenya with an 84-57 win in their opening Group A encounter.
Uganda dominated the first half with a score of 40-31, thanks to Melissa Taliba's efforts. She continued her dominance in the second half to maintain Uganda's supremacy over Kenya.
As a 2024 semifinalist, Uganda had to prove that finishing fourth was no fluke and had to fight their way past Kenya in a matchup that saw two lead changes and three ties.
Team captain for Uganda, Taliba, who scored 25 points, said that it was a well-fought battle but is glad that Uganda won at the end of the day. “This is a good game for us and we thank Kenya for putting us on our toes. We want to get better and improve on our position from the AfroBasket in 2024.”
Kenya’s Joyce Kagiri said that the team’s defence was not good and that it gave advantage to Uganda. “Our defence was not as good as we would have loved and it cost us the game.”
FIBA