Silverbacks lose to Cape Verde to end Afrobasket fairytale
Uganda’s men senior basketball team, the Silverbacks on Thursday evening ended their impressive FIBA Afrobasket 2021 campaign after losing 79-71 to Cape Verde in a quarterfinal game in Kigali.
Despite youngster Arthur Kaluma scoring a record high 21 points whereas Ismail Wainright picked 13 points for the Silverbacks, Cape Verde proved too strong , having dominated the first three quarters.
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Walter Tavares top score with 23 points, while Aoel Almeida and Jeferry Nunnes Xavier also picked 17 and 16 points respectively made it happen for Cape Verde as the Silverbacks’ fairytale at the 2021 FIBA Afrobasket came to an end.
Speaking shortly after the defeat, Silverback coach George Galanopoulos said he is proud of the team that he said beat all odds to reach the quarterfinals.
“This is not the end but above all, I am extremely proud of this group. I am happy to be part of this. I am a proud coach and excited for the future,” he said.
Speaking about the Cape Verde game, Galanopoulos said the team fell short in some areas but said they have picked lessons that will make them better.
“It is disappointing a little bit when you lose after you expected you were truly going to win. This group went into the game believing they were going to win. We did our job defensively for most of the game but we just didn’t convert on the offensive and we didn’t shoot well.”
According to Galanopoulos, the future is bright for the Silverbacks after the exciting performance in Kigali.
