Morocco's U18 teams triumph in the FIBA Zone 1 AfroBasket Qualifiers, securing a historic first-time qualification for the women and a dominant victory for the men. The tournament showcased thrilling matches and Morocco's strong presence, setting the stage for the U18 AfroBasket competition in South Africa.
Last Updated on
July 17, 2024
The Moroccan nation will have a strong presence in South Africa, thanks to the victory of its two teams in the final of the Zone 1 qualifying tournament. The Moroccans will be returning to FIBA Africa's flagship competition for the under-18s, while the Moroccan women clinched a historic ticket, qualifying for the continental event for the first time.
The women's final of the kind that makes a great game: suspense, determination and emotion. Morocco made history by winning for the first time and qualifying for the U18 AfroBasket. The match was a real duel, with Morocco taking a slight two-point lead at the end of the first quarter (9-7), which they extended to eight points at half-time (30-22).
Despite a seven-point lead at the start of the third quarter, Morocco saw Tunisia reduce the gap to just four points at the beginning of the final quarter. With two minutes remaining, Morocco led by two points (49-47) before Youmna Zaghouani equalised for Tunisia. The final minutes were marked by palpable tension and desperate attempts from both sides of the court. Still, Eiza Louveton secured the victory with a crucial three-point shot, even though Tunisia battled right to the end.
On the men's side, the final was a show of strength from the Moroccan team. They quickly took a nine-point lead at the end of the first quarter, increasing their advantage to almost twenty points by half-time (50-33), while Tunisia struggled to score.
Although Tunisia narrowed the gap slightly towards the end of the third quarter (61-50), Morocco maintained dominance in the final quarter, inflicting a final score of 85-58. This resounding victory confirms the Moroccans' return to the competition and underlines their ambition to shine at the highest continental level.
During the tournament, Day 1 of Zone 1 qualifiers for the U18 AfroBasket saw Tunisia and Morocco shine. The Tunisian women crushed Algeria with an impressive performance, scoring 20 points in the third quarter and dominating their opponents thanks to their exploitation of mistakes and precision in the paint. Meanwhile, the Moroccan men's team, back after a 16-year absence, won convincingly against Algeria, capitalising on their opponent's weaknesses and scoring points from turnovers, counter-attacks and substitutions. Algeria struggled with just five successful shots from 26 attempts.
On Day 2, Morocco beat Algeria in the women's competition, and Tunisia beat Morocco in the men's event. Hosts Tunisia won a tight match against Morocco despite starting the game in Morocco's favour. Mohamed Rayen Rouissi was decisive with 23 points, leading his team to a 72-69 victory. In the women's game, Morocco dominated Algeria with a 31-point lead at half-time and a final victory of 71-48, led by Lina Masrour with 19 points and four rebounds.
Gameday 3 saw the two Tunisian teams qualify for the final. In the women's game, Tunisia beat Morocco 56-55 thanks to a critical performance from captain Nour Horchani, who scored 22 points. Despite a solid Moroccan performance, Tunisia kept control and took the lead in the final minute, thanks to Yoldez Ben Belaid. In the men's competition, Tunisia overturned a first-half deficit against Algeria to win 61-40 and qualify for the finals.
[Photography / Imagery Courtesy of the Moroccan Basketball Federation]
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