The Uganda U18 Boys team learned their opponents in the semi-finals of the U18 Zone V Afrobasket Qualifiers currently going on in Cairo, Egypt.

Uganda will be taking on Rwanda once again for a place at the U18 Afrobasket which shall be taking place in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire.

A rivalry reignited

In 2024 when Uganda hosted the qualifiers, the 2 teams faced off in the final, with the winner securing a ticket to the championship.

Once again, these 2 teams will face off with a qualification ticket at stake. Remember that, the finalists of this year will be qualifying and this is a very important game for both teams.

Back in 2024, Dylan Kaijuka became a problem for Uganda but the Junior Silverbacks managed to stop him and secure the bag.

This year though, new heroes will be found and this is an opportunity for players from either country to make a name for themselves.

Road to the semifinals

Uganda secured their semifinals spot having finished top of Pool B. They secured a 52-40 win against South Sudan in their opening game and easily went past Kenya in an 84-50 win.

On the other hand, Rwanda finished second in Pool A having won 1 of their 2 games. They defeated Tanzania 86-57 but fell to Egypt 80-71.

Key players to watch

Uganda’s Pierre Laurent Rwuhiriro had a incredible performance against Kenya. He dropped a monster double-double with 21 points, 11 rebounds and 3 blocks. In the opening game against South Sudan, he had 8 points and 9 rebounds.

The other key player for Uganda is Shane Kwizera who dropped a triple double against South Sudan. Shane had 19 points, 10 rebounds, 12 steals and 4 assists. Against Kenya, he put up 6 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists and 5 steals.

The statistics show how round his game is and he is a big contributor on both emd of the floor.

Rwanda also has a key weapon in Sean Mwesigwa. Mwesigwa dropped 24 points against Egypt and 20 against Tanzania. If Uganda is to get past Rwanda, he is surely one of the player that they have to find a solution for.

The 2 shall be in action on Tuesday 28th July.