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Game 12: South Africa 87 vs. Misr 69 (58986)

Record: 9-1

Standing: Will advance into the semi-finals as the 1st seed
(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)

The clash of the top seeds ended in a victory for South Africa! This was truly a team win in the face of a stout opponent, especially with Siamusiye and Phatudi going down with injuries in the game.

- You can just assume Umi Mugabe would post another double-double and he did not disappoint as he had a team-high 23 points and pulled down 10 boards.
- 19-year-old Thikhathali Zibi was electric off the bench as he posted 18 points, which was good for 2nd-highest for the team, in 17 minutes of playing time to keep the team in it while the starters rested.
- Asanda Hadebe played tag team partner to Mugabe in this one as he had his own double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds.

Player of the Game: Umi Mugabe (48097274) trained by JimyW

Next up, the semi-finals. We'll play the 4th seed - Nigeria - while the 2nd and 3rd seeds in Misr/Egypt and Al Maghrib will battle it out. All the hard work of training, managing gameshape and strategically planning has brought us to this point so let's keep at it and close this season out strong! Let's go Baby Boks!

Great victory against a very strong rival.
And I for my part would also highlight Thoibo Lonco that against a player of 53 239K He only let him score two points. xdxdxd
Congratulations and for the next. Great job.

Last edited by Giorgio950 at 3/16/2021 8:41:04 AM

Semi-Finals: Nigeria 68 vs. South Africa 92 (59258)

Season Record: 12-1

Standing: We will advance to the finals match against Al Maghrib. Regardless of the outcome of the finals, our team is guaranteed a trophy in this tournament. Winning the semi-finals also punches our ticket to be able to compete at the highest level of competition in next season's U21 Worlds Tournament.

The final score may not have seemed like it but for the first half, this one was a bit of a nailbiter until the offense finally came alive. The referees were doing their best to keep Nigeria in this one as the Baby Boks were called for 28 fouls, which resulted in Nigeria shooting 31-39 (79%) FTs while our team only had 14 shots at the line. Winning another game against Nigeria was also a statement from the team that they had learned their lesson after taking their only loss of the season from this same squad.

- The young fellas came to play. 19-year-old Thikhathali Zibi received his first start for the team in what couldn't have been a bigger match and rose to the occasion. He led the team in scoring with 25 points on 10-18 shooting, including 4 three-pointers, and also chipped in 8 rebounds. He also had the highest +/- on the team with +29.
- Additionally, fellow 19-year-old Shafilshuna Machemko was 2nd on the team in scoring off the bench with 21 points in 25 minutes, including 4 three-pointers. You can continue to expect big things from this dynamic duo moving forward.
- While it was relatively quiet nights on the offensive front for starting big men Umi Mugabe and Gonasilan Sono, they found other ways to chip in as they each had 13+ rebounds and 5 assists for the game, which led the team.
- Though Nigeria was living from the free throw line, the defense really clamped down in this one as we limited their team to shooting only 16-70 (22%) from the field. This included keeping their starting PG, who was their team's 3rd highest salaried player, to shooting 0-14 for the game.

Player(s) of the Game: Thikhathali Zibi (48727515) and Shafilshuna Machemko (48727512) trained by A Warrior

To be in the Finals game for the African Tournament is a victory in and of itself and we have successfully arrived on that front but we're not done yet. We were able to conserve some of our effort against Nigeria so the team is ready to lay it all on the line against Al Maghrib and go for the gold!

I'd encourage you all to tune in on Monday for this championship game. Feel free to join the Discord (https://discord.gg/rZP27YpfPD) during the game and we can chat while it's happening live! Fight on Baby Boks!

Great victory congratulations and as you have said, the first half was a bit agonizing because they filled us with fouls and all of them with shot.
I still can't understand how Lonco left with six fouls in 23 minutes against this player (48405898)and he stayed with five with a defense at 7.
Well now to win the final on Monday, we will see her eating popcorn. xdxd

Thanks Giorgio! I agree, it was quite confusing to see Lonco foul out so quickly there.

If you or anyone else is interested, feel free to join the Discord (https://discord.gg/rZP27YpfPD) if you want to contribute to game-planning for this final match. Looking for all the perspectives we can get!

I am sure that you will only know how to lead us to get that gold. Thanks

A very strong campaign so far. Good luck in the final!

Thanks Giorgio and Donny! We have performed about as strongly as we possibly could to this point so far, though we have a really tough opponent to go up against in the final game but we've certainly got a chance to win it all so it'll be a good one.

While I am certainly doing my fair of research before each game, I've also had the help of several managers - Lesley1226, FeelthePressure and mathew13693 - in game planning, which I am extremely appreciative of, and welcome anyone else's insight as well. I believe the discussion we have on the Discord helps us come to the best possible game plan and hope that will prove to be the case again tomorrow!

Very complicated match. But the important thing is that we won and the gold is ours.
Congratulations to you and to all those who have contributed with their players

Finals: Al Maghrib 58 vs. South Africa 66 (59320)

Season Record: 13-1

Standing: U21 AFRICAN CHAMPIONS!

An ugly, defensive slugfest this game turned out to be but the Baby Boks pulled it off! U21 Gold has returned back to South Africa for the first time in 14 seasons!

- When a game turns into a brawl, you want Umi Mugabe on your side. The leader of this squad stepped up onto the biggest stage and snatched the Gold! He led the team with 26 points and 17 rebounds, both of which were team-highs.
- 19-year-old Shafilshuna Machemko had the tough defensive assignment guarding the opposing PG who shot 33 times in the game as Al Maghrib ran their Patient offense through him. He picked up his 5th foul in the 3rd but managed to play smart defense the rest of the way and not foul out. Additionally, he came through in the clutch, hitting a big shot in the final minute and tacked on a couple of free throws to help ice the game. Big things are in store for this youngster, so keep an eye on him.
- The team really came together to collectively hold Al Maghrib to shooting 25% from the field. While the team didn't excel offensively, they can take pride in a stout defensive performance at the most crucial moment.

Player of the Game: Umi Mugabe (48097274) trained by JimyW

Congratulations to all involved with training and gameplanning to get us to this moment. It was certainly a collaborative victory that everyone who took part should be able to savor in!

More acknowledgments to come...

Huge W after a very nice season. Congrats to you and all the managers who trained the players! :)