Uganda Men’s U16 national basketball team, the Junior Silverbacks, got their FIBA Africa U16 qualifiers campaign to a flying start on Wednesday.
Uganda triumphed over the host after a close 59-56 victory in the Zone V championship at the LDK Gymnasium in Kigali.
It was a relatively slow start for Uganda as they went down 25-27 at halftime before leveling the tie 42-42 as they headed into the final quarter.
The sides traded punches before the Junior Silverbacks staged an 8-0 run to go ahead, and never relinquished their advantage to win a thriller.
It was an impressive show for Joel Tejan Rugette as he managed a double-double of 27 points and 13 rebounds.
In a losing effort for Rwanda, Joseph Nshimiye (16), Juru Cedric Ntigurigwa (14) and David Ganza (10) scored in double digits.
“It was a good win for us of course, and we have two games but today was the first step,” Uganda’s head coach Michael Seger said following the victory.
“We are looking to the Afrobasket in Tunisia and this first win is a good start to win this Zone 5 championship.”
The Junior Silverbacks will return to the court this Friday against Tanzania after their would-be Thursday opponents Burundi were disqualified for alleged age cheating.
The tournament will act as qualifiers for the FIBA U16 Afrobasket championships that are scheduled to take place from August 13-23, 2023 in Tunisia.
Courtesy Photos
