Cote d’Ivoire: Cameroon wins bronze in U18 Afrobasket.

The Kevin Ngwesse-managed selection registered a 73-69points victory over the West Africans.

The team dominated the Mali selection in the course of the match despite a series of threatening run from the outfit.

Cameroon enjoyed a comfortable 41-29points lead halfway into the match after winning the first quarter 20-13points and claiming a similarly dominant 21-16points triumph in the second quarter. 

The side went on to win the third quarter 18-16points before suffering a 14-24points defeat to the outfit in the final quarter where the opposition unsuccessfully pushed the team in a bid to claim a comeback victory.

Youngster, James Minlend, led the overall scoring in the match. The U18 Lions star chipped powered in game-high 23points while Nolan Ngangmeni and Ronny Ewanke contributed 13points and 11points respectively for Cameroon. 

The win over the Malians came a day after the U18 Lions suffered a disappointing 62-57points loss to host Cote d’Ivoire on Saturday in the semifinals.

The loss to the West Africans who went on to defeat Senegal in the final of the tournament on Sunday night, ended Cameroon’s quest to compete in the final of the U18 Afrobasket championship for the second successive campaign.

The defeat more damaging ended Cameroon’s dream of making it to successive FIBA Under19 World Cup tournaments.

Cameroon made its debut in the global showpiece at the 2025 edition last year after it reached the final of the 2024 edition of the competition in South Africa before losing to then two-time title holders Mali.

The loss to Cote d’Ivoire on Saturday was the first and only defeat that the U18 Lions team recorded in the Abidjan championship where the two finalists claimed qualification tickets to next year’s U19 FIBA World Cup. 

The selection won four of its five matches in the competition. It outsmarted Nigeria, Tunisia and Senegal in the group phase and ruthlessly demolished Chad 73-68points in the quarterfinals last Thursday. 

The failed World Cup bid saw the team following on the footsteps of its peers the senior women’s Under18 national basketball selection. 

The U18 Basketball Lionesses who bagged a bronze medal at the 2024 Under18 Women’s Afrobasket in South Africa were knocked out of the 2026 tournament at the quarterfinals by Nigeria.

The loss abruptly ended the selection’s quest to qualify for next year’s Under19 FIBA Women’s World Cup as one of the two finalists of the 2026 African championship.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3882 of Tuesday August 18, 2026