June 25, (THEWILL) – Nigeria’s Under-16 basketball team has secured a spot in the Final Round of the FIBA U16 African Championship, marking their comeback after missing the 2021 edition held in Egypt.
The 2019 bronze medalists experienced an unexpected defeat at the hands of host country Ghana, who clinched a narrow 47-45 victory in the final Qualifiers game. The outcome left the crowd at the Eden Heights Arena in a state of frenzy and jubilation.
The regional qualifiers featured three teams: hosts Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, and Nigeria. Despite the setback, Nigeria’s initial triumph of 67-38 over Cote d’Ivoire proved crucial, as all three teams finished with 3 points on the table. In a highly contested match, Ghana pushed Nigeria to overtime, with the game ending at 62-62.
However, Nigeria ultimately prevailed with a 68-64 win, securing their place in the Final Round by virtue of head-to-head and goals. This qualification marks Nigeria’s fourth appearance in the Final Round of the FIBA U16 African Championship. Expressing his relief, Sambo Abraham Madabu, the team captain, spoke about their suspenseful journey to qualification. He said: “This qualification was nail-biting, but we’re thankful we eventually got the ticket.”
Nigeria will now join Egypt, the five-time champions, in the battle to become the 2023 champions. Mali, Algeria, Angola, Uganda, Guinea, and host country Tunisia have also secured their spots in the Final Round.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
