The Moroccan national basketball team qualified for the AfroCan 2023 final, reserved for local players, after winning in the Angolan capital Luanda against the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on the score of 76 to 69.

The Atlas Lions have thus put an end to the ambitions of the defending champions to win a second African title, becoming the first team to beat the Leopards at AfroCan since the creation of the tournament in 2019.

The protégés of coach Labib El Hamrani were not troubled by a Congolese team which had difficulty finding its feet in the match.

Despite few breakthroughs on the side of the DRC, the Moroccan players quickly regained control, in particular thanks to an exceptional Jihad Benchlikha and a close-knit team.

Alongside Benchlikha, players Soufiane Benhmine, Mohamed Choua, Abdelhakim Zouita and Hamza Foulani delivered a remarkable performance by finishing with a double-digit score.

In the final, Morocco will cross swords on Sunday with Côte d’Ivoire which dominated Rwanda (74-71) in the other semi-final.

Source: Agency Morocaine De Presse