KAMPALA, May 12 (Xinhua) -- Rwanda and hosts Uganda started on a winning note as the U-18 Zone 5 Afro-Basketball Championship got under way here on Monday.
Uganda's Girls team saw off their Kenyan counterparts 62-48, before the Rwanda Boys team also beat Kenya 62-42 in the second game.
In the first game Sumaya Hasahya scored a game high 21 points for Uganda's U-18 Girls team, while Ritah Immanishimwe and Sarah Ageno picked 15 and 14 points respectively. Kenya had Felmas Adhiambo and Mercy Odima score 16 and 12 points respectively.
The second game saw Rwanda's Bienvenue Niyonsaba, Walter Nkurunziza and Yvan Axel Nshimiye run rings around Kenya to win with a 20 points difference.
"We have what it takes to win this championship because we have trained hard," said Nkurunziza after the game.
The zonal championship which will climax on Thursday will see the best teams in each category qualify for the African U-18 Afro- Basketball Championship event scheduled to take place in Madagascar in the men's category and in Mali in the women's category.
The event is being played on a round robin basis with every team facing each other twice.
Rwanda's Boys' team has qualified for the continent event three times, while their Girl's will be looking for their first qualification. The other nations in the Zone 5 that failed to send teams for the championship include; Tanzania, Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Egypt and Burundi.