Day 2 - Mali, Egypt looking to keep momentum, Madagascar take on Benin

 

 

ANTANANARIVO (Madagascar) - The 2022 FIBA U18 African Championship resumes on Friday with three exciting games in Antananarivo.

Focus will be on hosts Madagascar as they open their Group A campaign against Benin  in a game they can't afford to lose as they aim at reaching the semifinals. 

The Malagasy have been waiting impatiently for their debut in the tournament.

 

As the tournament's hosts, they have set the bar high, vying for the title. "We're here to play, and we're confident in our abilities. We've been preparing for this long enough," says Aime Marcel Randria, the Malagasy head coach.

But he's worried his players won't match the size of their opponents. "We're not so used to playing against bigger players. So, we'll bet on tactics and our technical capacities to make the difference."

And they sure can count on the Malagasy crowd to help them.

Randria launched an appeal to the home fans. "We need you to support us all the way. We're playing for the national flag and we'd like all of Madagascar to cheer for us."

In the day's opening game, Egypt will have to face a very ambitious Guinea, who dream of upsetting the hierarchy. Guinean wonder-kid Ibrahima Diallo is clear in his mind about what they want in Madagascar.

"You can expect us to play hard from the beginning to the end, and never give up. We're going to accomplish a lot of great things there," he said to FIBA.basketball prior to the competition.

But they can also expect Egypt to play as hard as them after their opening game display against Angola. They indeed put up quite a show against the Southern Africans, winning 69-43.

And the Egyptian shooting guard Mohamed Hendy, who led the floor with 16 points, is adamant that they can do even better.

"We all had limited time on the court due to the coach's tactics. But I'd have it that we can do much better, be it on the offensive or defensive side. And I'm confident we can grow as a team."

In Friday's last game, Mali will try to keep their winning ways against Angola, who will be looking for ways to shatter the champions' confidence on the court.

Mali started their 2022 campaign victoriously, even though they met with a challenging time at the start of the game, and will look forward to clinching a second straight win in Mahamas.

FIBA