BOITUMELO RANTAO
WITH five seconds left in the final quarter Angola held on to a slight 73-72 lead over Kenya. The lead looked safe until the captain of Kenya’s national team, Morans, Tylor Ongwae stepped up and scored the shot that would send Kenya to their first African basketball championship (Afrobasket) – after 28 years of waiting.
Kenya, spearheaded by head coach Liz Mills, have looked re-energized throughout the second window of the Afrobasket qualifiers and the statement win over an African titans Angola was the exclamation point. They have now qualified for their fourth Afrobasket tournament after defeating the 11-time champions.
“We came here for wins, we’ve taken care of Angola and we want to get things done against Mozambique as well,” said an ecstatic coach Mills
“Going to Rwanda is great. We beat a powerhouse and it’s a wonderful feeling,” she continued.
The Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta had high praise for the Morans after their incredible feat, emphasizing how the players “showed great effort and carried the Kenyan flag high”
The Kenyans last Afrobasket adventure was in 1993 where they finished fourth.
