ABC Wins Africa Club Competition

Angola are the kings of basketball when it comes to national team competitions in Africa but the club scene is a different matter.

ABC of the Ivory Coast last weekend beat Angola's leading teams to lift the 20th FIBA Africa Champions Club Cup Competition.

The hosts won over 1º de Agosto in the semi-finals, 72-67, while in the other last four clash Interclube defeated Nigerian powerhouse Union Bank 74-58 to reach the title showdown.

ABC then edged a thrilling final, winning 67-66 over Interclube de Luanda.

This 20th edition of the Africa Champions Cup kept all its promise.

When looking at the results, we can conclude that the competition was very tight.

At the end of the competition, the former title holder Primeiro de Agosto won the 3rd place by beating union Bank in the classification game by the score of 103-67.

Angola's leading players, many of who helped the country win the FIBA Africa Championship in the summer, have a much bigger aim next year when they take part in the FIBA World Championship in Japan.

Angola will be looking to improve on 2002 in Indianapolis, when Mario Palma's team finished 11th out of 16 teams.

The FIBA World Championship has been expanded to 24 teams next year, with Nigeria and Senegal joining the Angolans as Africa's three representatives.

Final ranking

1. ABC (Ivory Coast)

2. Inter Club (Angola)

3. Primero de Agosto (Angola)

4. Union Bank (Nigeria)

5. Petro Atletico (Angola)

6. Back (Guinea)

7. Inter club (Congo