August 20, (THEWILL) – Cameroon and Senegal are the finalists for the championship game of the FIBA Olympic Pre-Qualifying Basketball Tournament in Lagos, Nigeria.
The two teams will meet on Sunday, to decide who claims the gold medal and the sole African spot available for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. Cameroon booked their place in the final with an 87-70 defeat of Mali on Saturday. The Cameroonians were red-hot from three-point range, knocking down 15 shots from beyond the arc. Guard Jeremiah Hill led the way with 21 points, including 5 three-pointers, while also dishing out 7 assists.
In the other qualifier semi-final, Senegal dominated Guinea en route to a 100-60 thrashing. Senegal outscored Guinea 51-18 in the second half to pull away. Guard Brancou Badio scored a game-high 20 points to pace Senegal’s offensive attack. As a team, Senegal made 17 three-pointers in the win.
The gold medal game on Sunday will be a rematch of the tournament opener last week, when Cameroon defeated Senegal 83-73. Both teams have gone undefeated since that initial matchup, building momentum towards the championship with that sole berth for Africa at next summer’s Olympics as the juicy prize.
Cameroon and Senegal have been the class of the tournament in Lagos. Sunday’s final should provide an exciting conclusion to the Olympic Pre-Qualifying event, with a trip to France and a chance for Olympic glory on the line. Both teams will be hungry to represent Africa on the world’s biggest sporting stage next year.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
