Dutiful Kenya Morans eye Gabonese scalp to finish top of FIBA AfroCan group

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BASKETBALL: Dutiful Kenya Morans eye Gabonese scalp to finish top of FIBA AfroCan group

Joel Omotto 07:00 - 10.07.2023

Cliff Owuor’s men are aiming for back-to-back wins to secure their ticket to the knockout stages of the continental tournament

Kenya Morans are out to string back-to-back group stage wins at the FIBA AfroCan championships and seal their place in the next round when they take on Gabon on Monday.

Morans opened their campaign with a 62-52 win over the Ivory Coast in Luanda, Angola on Saturday and victory against debutants Gabon will see them sail through to the next round.

Cliff Owuor’s men will draw plenty of encouragement from the fact that Ivory Coast, who they beat, edged out the Gabonese on Sunday when they recorded a 66-52 win.

Owuor will be hoping that US-based point guard Derrick Ogechi is in inspired form yet again after leading the scoring on Saturday with 19 points and eight rebounds.

Ogechi was a thorn in the flesh of the Ivorians and should be the same against Gabon with his prowess from distance proving a major difference. He scored nine points from three-pointers from eight attempts and with Kenya likely to dominate Monday’s contest, he could get space to attempt even more.

Bush Wamukota, who had 19 rebounds and one block against Ivory Coast, and Fidel Okoth (four assists) are the other top performers from Saturday’s win that are likely to have a starring role for the 2019 finalists.

Owuor’s charges will, however, need to improve their efficiency from the free throw line after managing a conversion rate of 38 percent compared to their opponents’ 58 percent on Saturday.

There were also a number of ball-handling errors from Ariel Ortega which contributed to loss of possession that they will have to cut out to avoid being shocked by their rivals.

Kenya and Ivory Coast are tied on three points but the latter have played two matches and the East Africans will finish top of Group A with the maximum six points, if they win Monday’s match, which will see them avoid the big boys such hosts Angola and defending champions DR Congo in the next round.