Game 9: South Africa U21 107 vs. Nigeria U21 85
(58978)Record: 6-1
Standing: Currently 1st place - Locked in to advance to the semi-finals
(Note: In this 2nd round, after each remaining team plays each other, the top 4 teams will head to the semi-finals where the 1st seed plays the 4th seed and the 2nd seed will play the 3rd seed)
Though it appeared to be just another game, the team came out hungry to prove themselves in this one to avenge the teams' only close loss in the last round. Though Nigeria came out with more enthusiasm again, this time the Baby Boks were ready.
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Gonasilan Sono seems like he's always bringing something new to the table. This time around he led the team in +/- with a +24, was 2nd in the team in scoring with 17 points, including 2 for 4 from 3-point range, and chipped in 4 rebounds, 3 assists and a steal.
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Thoibo Lonco came out with one mission this game: Get buckets. He shot 9 for 14 from the field and led the team with 19 points.
- The bench came out strong in this one with the 19-year-old trio of
Shafilshuna Machemko,
Thikhathali Zibi and
Yera Mji all scoring in double-digits and ended up being the teams' 3rd through 5th leading scorers for the game.
- Every player that received playing time, which was 11 out of 12, scored points in this one.
- The coaching staff of Lesley1226, FeelthePressure and mathew13693 did an outstanding job to help the team prepare well for this rematch.
Player of the Game: Gonasilan Sono
(48754211) trained by Giorgio950
With the results of today's games, the Baby Boks, Al Maghrib and Misr/Egypt all have secured their place in the semi-finals. The final three weeks of games will determine seedings and whether or not Senegal or Nigeria will be the 4th team to advance.
This week, we face an always tough Al Maghrib squad that we escaped with a 1-point victory against the last time we faced off so we anticipate it's going to be another good match.
Thanks, Giorgio. You were right and your players were great for us today!