Somalia finishes outside the medal ranks - Egypt punches the ticket for the Ivory Coast

Faisal Aden

Kenya clashed again with Somalia for the bronze and came out victorious after lossing to their neighbours 78-81 in their first encounter in the group-stage. Griffin Ligare (174-G-85) top-scored for Kenya with 23 points while Faisal Aden (193-G-89, college: Washington St.) clicked in 25 for Somalia. In the finals, Egypt finished the tournament unbeaten with a 82-76 over Rwanda to punch their ticket for the African Championships later this year. What makes people in East Africa wonder though is the strange FIBA Africa decision regarding the zone V qualifying mode: Only the first placed-team qualified for the Ivory Coast while in zone IV, three teams qualified out of four participating teams, including the Republic of Congo, which went winless back in 2009 at the African Champs.