Your Weekly Dose of FIBA Africa Zone 4 News: The latest highlights from the intense battles in the Gabon Youzou Elite Basketball Championship and updates from the Cameroon National Elite Championships.
Last Updated on
February 15, 2024
Elango Mbotona
Staff Writer
It was another two days of intense action in the Youzou Elite Basketball Championship, with four powerhouse teams facing off in fierce encounters. Owendo 7.0 continued their near-flawless run in the competition, adding another victory to Coach Boubeur Ambourouet and his team's tally by defeating GSBC with a score of 104 – 87.
With this win, Owendo 7.0 has only lost one game since the start of the season. Meanwhile, Lycée Janvier Nguema Mboumba suffered a 48-62 defeat against Moanda Basketball, winning only one out of three games.
After the departures of 4-time MVP Etienne Tametong and Cedric Tsangue, hopes appeared dim as FAP suffered two consecutive defeats in the first two days of the Elite Men’s championship, a rare occurrence in their five-year history.
However, FAP revived their prospects by signing four new players in the following week. Among them are Gabon-based club CAS 1987's standout player, Lerry Essono, Guinea’s Alseny Bah, Ibrahim Fofana, and Cameroonian-born Arnold Akola Kome, who recently played for Jeanne d’Arc Basketball in Senegal. These reinforcements came after FAP's unsuccessful Road To BAL campaign.
Sixteen games were played over the long weekend in Cameroon due to the celebration of Youth Day, with eight games held in Douala and eight in Yaoundé, marking the 3rd and 4th days of play in the Men's and Women's Elite Championship.
In the Women's League, defending champions Overdose Up Station remained undefeated. Meanwhile, in the Men's League, FAP Basketball rose from the ashes with two victories following two defeats in Douala. It was a crucial turnaround for the armed forces, who were struggling at the start of the season. With the addition of four new experienced players, the team seems to have found its footing.
Additionally, the four-time former champions of Cameroon and current vice champions, BEAC Basketball, suffered two consecutive defeats for the first time in 10 years, forcing them to reassess their pursuit of the championship title.
