Sierra Leone’s U-16 Male Basketball Team ended their campaign at the FIBA Africa Zone II U-16 Tournament on August 23rd after two tough group stage matches in Dakar.
The young Leone Stars opened with an 88-45 loss to tournament hosts Senegal, before falling 70-31 to Cape Verde in their second outing. The results meant Sierra Leone did not progress to the knockout phase of the competition.
Coaches and officials said the experience will be vital in the players’ long-term development as Sierra Leone continues to build its youth basketball programme. The Sierra Leone Basketball Federation praised the team’s effort and commitment, noting that competing against established programmes like Senegal and Cape Verde offers lessons that cannot be learned at home.