- Cameroon has secured a spot in the 2025 FIBA U17 World Cup in Lausanne, Switzerland, following a commanding 67-47 victory over Morocco in the semifinals of the U18 FIBA AfroBasket tournament
- Led by Coach Kevin Ngwesse, the team overcame an early deficit, with standout performances from Amedu Seini, Herman Bei, and Freddy Tchakounte
- Cameroon will face Mali in the finals, aiming to capture the championship in their debut appearance at this prestigious competition
From qualifying as one of the two best third places in the group phase, Cameroon is through to the 2025 FIBA U17 World Cup in Lausanne, Switzerland, after winning its AfroBasket semifinal fixture against Morocco.
The team, coached by Kevin Ngwesse, turned a six-point disadvantage in the first quarter into a 67-47 victory against Morocco in the semifinals of the U18 FIBA AfroBasket competition in Pretoria, South Africa.
Center Amedu Seini, Herman Bei, and Freddy Tchakounte contributed a combined 43 points, allowing Cameroon to book a final clash with Mali in their debut appearance at this competition.
Noah Braze’s reverse layup and Omar Karem’s jump shot opened hostilities this Friday, September 13, in Pretoria. Morocco looked confident on the ball, outspacing the Cameroonians. Three minutes in, two of Raysne Solhi’s pointers and a Kareem bucket put Morocco ahead 16-10, but an Ulrich Ngono bucket and a Bei free throw reduced the gap.
The first quarter ended 19-13 in favor of the Moroccans. In the second quarter, Solhi hit a three-pointer to extend the North Africans’ lead to 24-20, subsequently leading by 11 points. Midway through, Seini’s free throws, a bucket, a Yves Minlard layup, and a Tchakounte three-pointer propelled the debutants on an 8-0 run, giving them a 30-26 lead.
At halftime, with a three-point lead (32-29), the Central African nation turned the tides with a 16-13 win in the third quarter and a game-changing 19-5 win in the last quarter.
Coach Kevin believes the last two quarters are the most important for his side, which contributed to this significant win. “The third and last quarters are important to us. This is where we break away; that is why our defense is intense, so we can pull away in those quarters.”
Seini registered a double-double with 15 points and 19 rebounds, while Herman Bei finished with 15 points and 15 rebounds. Freddy Tchakounte’s 13 points ensured Cameroon wrote another page in the history books.
Post-match, Coach Kevin expressed happiness over what the team has achieved, especially considering they were almost eliminated in the group phase.
“It’s history for our country. You always see different sporting disciplines achieving success—now it’s basketball’s turn. We are happy, and the whole nation is happy… Our focus is on the final. We came here to win the cup. I have told my guys to go and rest and watch the game online.”
Cameroon will play Mali in the finals. Mali defeated Senegal 68-60 in the other semifinal fixture. The Malian U18 women’s team ousted Cameroon’s U18 women by 103-45 in the women’s semifinals.
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