OUAGADOUGOU (Burkina Faso) - Nigeria finished first in the Zone 3 U18 AfroBasket Qualifiers, defeating the host team, Burkina Faso, 100-54, on Saturday, July 11, at the Palais des Sports 2000 in Ouagadougou.
The three-team regional qualifier took place from July 6-11 in the Burkinabe capital, and Nigeria finished with a perfect 4-0 record against Benin and Burkina Faso.
Each team played four games.
With their spot in the final round secured, Nigeria will make their 12th appearance in the FIBA U18 AfroBasket, which is scheduled to take place in Abidjan from August 5 to 16, 2026.
Nigeria's perfect record saw them defeat Benin 96–35 and 101–43, as well as Burkina Faso 98–54 and 100–54.
Burkina Faso finished second with a 2–2 record.
They won against Benin with scores of 87-82 and 88-63.
Benin finished third in the regional qualifier with a 0–4 record. Liberia, another Zone 3 contender, withdrew at the last minute.
The standout players in the qualifiers were Thomas Agbo Okoh and Ramadan Babatunde of Nigeria, who scored 35 and 27 points, respectively, against Benin; and Victor Emeka Nwafor and Isaiah John of Nigeria, who scored 23 and 18 points, respectively, against Burkina Faso.
FIBA