NAIROBI (Kenya) - The reigning WBLA bronze medallists, APR, and their Zone 5 counterparts, the silver medallists Rwanda Energy Group (REG), have secured their places in the Zone 5 Qualifiers final, which is scheduled for Saturday, 15 November at the Nyayo Gymnasium in Nairobi, Kenya.
This achievement secures their place at the 2025 WBLA in Cairo, Egypt next month.
Meanwhile, on the final day, hosts Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) will compete against Burundi's Les Hippos for third place, with the winner also likely to head to Cairo.
Here's a recap of the day's action:
APR survive Les Hippos scare to continue streak
Rwandese military side, APR, continued their unbeaten run, picking a convincing 82-61 victory over Burundi's Les Hippos to not only qualify for Saturday's final but also book a place in next month's WBLA.
This is the second time that the Charles Mushumba-coached side is making the continental showpiece, following their debut last year, on a wild card after finishing third in the Zonal qualifiers. APR went on to pick bronze on debut in Dakar.
Les Hippos enjoyed hot hands off the opening whistle, going 6-0 ahead from range, but APR recovered to go ahead 7-6.
Back-to-back treys from Italee Lucas and Yacine Diop with just over three minutes in the opening quarter gave Mushumba's side a 21-15 cushion but the Burundians kept the fight going to trail 25-22. APR made defensive adjustments in the second quarter, going on an 11-1 run in the opening half of the period to lead 36-23.
Diedhiou Laurence Sabine took matters in her hands, scoring six in the remaining time to push Hippos to a 20-11 quarter, trailing by 12 at halftime.
"We always have a winning mentality even when under pressure and it was the same here. They gave us a challenge and we showed who we are. Our assignment is not done yet, we still have a championship to fight for which I believe will motivate us more. After qualifying with a wildcard last year, it feels special to get an automatic slot to the WBLA," APR forward Assouma Uwizeye gold FIBA.basketball.
The third quarter was all a Les Hippos show, cutting their deficit to eight (48-40) four minutes in. Shauqunna Nicole Collins' pull up three brought Hippos to within six at 53-47.
Smelling blood Brittany Nichole Autry went on a five-point run that revived comeback hopes for Josue Ndimugakiza's Hippos at 53-52. Their momentum, however, died down allowing APR to lead 61-54.
Mushumba's side opened fire in the final quarter to play for 21-7 , a team effort that culminated with Lucas scoring 21, one more than Diop who added nine rebounds to her performance. The former gave eight assists. A'Lexxus Davis led the side's rebounding with 10, scoring nine.
"It was a tough match but a great experience for our team. It's been a long time since a team from Burundi made it to the Semis and we hope it gets better. We still have a third-place match to play and we hope to win and qualify. We have to get into rhythm and be consistent in that match as we want to qualify," Les Hippos' Isatha Carlette Nzisabira told FIBA.basketball
REG subject KPA to second defeat, to qualify
Rwanda Energy Group (REG) played a massive third quarter against a seemingly hapless host side KPA, outscoring them 23-6 to all but sealed victory and a place in this year's WBLA.
The Rwandese champions had restricted the Antony Ojukwu-led KPA to 12 points in the second and third quarter to lead by as many as 21 points with Kayana Traylor leading the charge with 18 points.
From the get go it was quickly clear this would be a defensive masterclass as both slides looked solid, despite struggling to get in rhythm upfront.
The hosts pulled away for 9-2, capitalising on some costly turnovers but REG fought to come close at 12-9, but KPA added four to stretch their advantage to 7 points.
Kristina King shot from range for 18-15 with 6:14 to play in the second quarter, a fastbreak layups from Lamla Umunezero making it a one-point game.
The Rwandese champions took the lead at 20-18 and again at 23-22 as the host's ball handling plugged them into problems.
For more than five minutes of the third quarter, KPA couldn't find their footing, going scoreless as the opponent frustrated their efforts, running the scores for 33-22. Chantal Kiyobe led the onslaught against her former side, scoring the 11 in a 23-6 stanza that left KPA with a 17-point mountain to climb in the final quarter.
"We knew from the beginning it would be a tough match as KPA is a good team, and it was. We played good defense and played as a team for this win. We had a lot of turnovers in the first half and once we had that handled we played better in the second. It feels good to qualify for the WBLA again. We want to take the trophy home and that's the focus now. We just need to stick to our game plan, play as a team and remain solid on defense," REG forward Chantal Kiyobe told FIBA.basketball.
"It is a hard loss but we are hopeful and focusing on winning tomorrow. We take the loss as players and promise better. The first and second quarter were fine but in the third everything went haywire. Something went wrong, which I cannot pinpoint, but it did and we couldn't recover.
"We will try to rest, prepare mentally at a personal level and hope to find a solution for our third quarter execution, as we have lost twice due to slumps in that period," KPA forward Betty Kananu offered.
Gladiators finish seventh
In the first of two classification matches scheduled, Burundi's Gladiators got the better of Tanzania's Don Bosco Lioness in a 74-69 show. The Burundians dominated the paint 46-34 to remain intact after a good first half start (21-16,20-17) in a tightly contested clash.
Esperance Kaneza and Kadidiatou Traore combined for 34 points, the former leading with 19.
Divine Irakoze and Nathalie Butoyi added ten each in the win. It was, however, Lioness' Lavender Opondo and Taudencia Oluoch who top scored in the match with 27 and 26 respectively but with none of their other teammates hitting double digits, their efforts were not enough to hand them a win.
FIBA