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FIBA 3x3 U17 Africa Cup: End of the journey for Kenya after quarter-final loss

Reading Time: 2min | Fri. 02.12.22. | 20:19

Kenya went down to Algeria to crash out of the tournament

There was so much at stake for the Kenya 3x3 U17 team as they took on Algeria in the FIBA 3x3 U17 Africa Cup quarter-finals in Cairo.

A win away from making a giant step towards next year's FIBA 3x3 U18 World Cup and a loss that would send the brave Kenyans home.


It was the latter - as the East African representatives fell 11-19 to the tournament's fourth seeds on Friday evening.

The mistakes from the past two games a day before showed up again for the Kenyan quartet, turning the ball over, failing to grab rebounds, and oddly failing to score from the free throw line.

A stretch with 6:44 minutes left on the clock painted a perfect example.

Kenya's Mark Anthony was fouled on a two-point attempt, made a line violation on the first free throw, and missed the second.

Algeria grabbed the rebound and scored on a two-point shot from the ensuing left-wing shot, extending their lead to 8-5.

The ruthless nature of the Algerians was evident as they quickly raced to a 2-0 lead in the opening minute and didn't look back.

The Algerians never trailed, often capitalizing on missed Kenyan opportunities to push their advantage.

The biggest lead for the North Africans came late on, leading 17-11 with 2:57 left on the clock, thanks to a ferocious 8-3 run from the halfway mark led by their talisman Yacine Menacer.

It would be unfair to credit the Kenyan team for showing some fight; holding on till the final buzzer while it looked like the contest would be over with two minutes to spare.

David Gichohi led the way for Kenya with a game-high 8 points, converting 3 two-point attempts and finishing twice in the paint.

Jordan Kobia, often leading the team, produced some great plays, finishing on the reverse with 4:06 left in the game before scoring Kenya's last points with just over two minutes remaining in the contest. He finished with two points.

Sami Aious was Algeria's top scorer, hitting 7 points as Menacer finished with 6 points. Algeria meet Africa's top side Egypt in the semifinals as Morocco take on the Democratic Republic of Congo on the other side of the draw.



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