Akam One, Moischers Nets qualify for Red Bull Half Court final set for May

Coast-based teams Akam One and Moischers Nets were, on the weekend crowned champions in the women and men’s categories of the Mombasa edition of the Red Bull Half-Court basketball tournament that was played at the Aga Khan grounds.

Organized by Kenya Basketball Federation in partnership with Red Bull Kenya, the tournament in its fourth edition has teams fighting for a qualifying spot to compete in the World Finals set for Belgrade, Serbia.

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The men’s final was a clash between Moischers team A and B with team A carrying the day while Akam One beat Kaya Tiwi in the final.

The top three teams in both categories that include Moischers A and B as well as Storms for the men and Akam One and two Kayatiwi sides for the women have qualified to play in the national finals.

The format of Kenya’s only nationwide 3x3 basketball tournament follows the FIBA rules where teams play for 10 minutes to score 21 points max. In the case of a tie, the team that scores 2 points first wins the game.

In each qualifier, the teams will play in a first-round pool play where the team that accumulates the most scoring points is rewarded with a bonus point and a qualification spot in the knockout stage.

Bryan Oyoo, a player from the Moischer Nets A reiterated the importance that the tournament played in providing exposure to players and helping them develop their offensive and defensive skills.

“Such tournaments provide us players a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to play against the best players in the game and improve our basketball skills,” Oyoo said.

The qualified teams from the Mombasa edition will play in the national finals that will be held at the USIU grounds on the 27 May.

Focus now shifts to the Kisumu edition of the tournament, which will be held on the 29 April.