Kusile Madlela Sports Reporter
THE Zimbabwe Under-16 boys’ and girls’ basketball teams have qualified for the prestigious Afro Basket Championships that would be held next month in Mali and Madagascar.

The boys’ finals will be held in Mali while the girls compete on the island of Madagascar.

The Zimbabwean teams put on remarkable performances against African basketball powerhouse Angola, Mozambique, South Africa, Botswana and Zambia.

Both the boys’ and girls’ teams played four games each with the former registering two wins and two losses while the latter managed three victories and one loss.

Secretary-general of the Basket Union of Zimbabwe, Joe Mujuru said he was happy with the teams’ qualification as this brought some form of pride to the nation.

“We are proud of our boys and girls. Their achievement is a welcome initiative as this is the result of hard work. The team has brought pride to our country and they will fly the flag high heading into the Afro Basket Championships,” said Mujuru.

“The girls’ team managed to record an impressive victory against formidable opponents, Angola and I extend my congratulations to them for such a memorable victory.”

Mujuru said he was happy with the progress of the junior teams for emulating the senior national team by qualifying for the continental showcase.

“We are really in a good position this year with the junior teams and seniors qualifying for the championships. That is some welcome news and our work has now been cut out for us as we have to prepare for the competition. This is the third time that we have qualified for the competition and we are hoping to perform better than in previous championships,” he said.

Meluleki Ndlovu, one of the junior teams’ coaches, said they had performed above expectations with limited resources and he was looking forward to good performances at the Afro Basket Championships.

“I was very humbled by the way the players handled themselves in the qualifiers. They were disciplined and played their games with intent, something I had not seen them do before, and I suppose they really wanted this more than their opponents,” Ndlovu said.

“Looking at the limited resources we had, I can say our children are heroes and deserve to be treated as such. The team will have three weeks to prepare for the championships and we will use that time to ensure that they are ready,” he said.

Results

Boys — 26th May: Zimbabwe 66-49 Zambia, 27th May: Zimbabwe 53-64 South Africa, 28th May: Zimbabwe 12-31 Botswana, 30 May: Zimbabwe 74-76 Mozambique.

Girls — 27th May: Zimbabwe 71-52 Zambia, 28th May: Zimbabwe 69-22 Botswana, 29th May: Zimbabwe 64-47 South Africa.

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