Kenya men’s national basketball team, the Morans, fell short against Morocco, with a scoreline of 55-46, in the AfroCan tournament quarter-finals at the Pavilhao Multiusos de Luanda Arena in Angola.
The loss, their second consecutive defeat, shattered Kenya’s hopes of surpassing their silver medal achievement four years ago.
Although the final score showed a nine-point deficit, the team will rue missed opportunities that plagued their performance.
By half-time, Kenya’s standout player, Eric Mutoro, had emerged as a force to reckon with, displaying his dependability by scoring the most points for the team – 10 in total.
Mutoro’s quick shots and relentless effort helped reduce Morocco’s double-digit lead to a mere six points going into the final quarter, with the team rallying behind him.
Until the fourth minute of the last period, Kenya remained within three points of their opponents (45-42).
Head coach Cliff Owuor lamented the team’s struggles in finding the right shots during crucial moments. “We did so well in the third quarter and once it came to the fourth, we just didn’t get the right shot,” head coach Cliff Owuor said after the game adding: “We made a lot of bad decisions.”
The Morans struggled to convert their shots, managing a disappointing 22 per cent from beyond the arc and making only 18 of their 61 attempted shots.
Additionally, the team lacked experience and composure in critical situations, leading to missed opportunities and costly turnovers. Despite their efforts to shut down Morocco, several mistakes, such as errant passes and shot clock violations, allowed their opponents to regain a seven-point advantage, dashing Kenya’s hopes of a comeback.
Throughout the game, Kenya found themselves trailing for the majority of the time, except for an early field goal by Derrick Ogechi in the first quarter.
The Moroccan team, spearheaded by Jihad Benchlikha’s impressive three-point shooting, dominated the first quarter with a 17-10 lead.
Benchlikha contributed 14 points, while Mohamed Choua and Kevin Franceshci added 10 and 13 points, respectively. In contrast, Mutoro stood as Kenya’s sole player in double figures, highlighting the team’s struggle to generate offense and committing more turnovers than successful field goals.
