Former West basketball player scores 6 points, 7 rebounds as South Sudan earns 1st-ever Olympic victory
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - For decades, the game of basketball has had its fair share of Cinderella-esque stories.
The 2024 Paris Olympics provided another this week.
Competing in the nation’s first-ever Olympics, South Sudan basketball checked off another box, defeating Puerto Rico 90-79 in game 1 of Group C play.
It’s the country’s first Olympic victory in the sport.
Former West Anchorage High School player JT Thor, Who has been a part of the East African roster since prelims, scored 6 points, 7 rebounds, and 1 assist across 23 minutes of action, including four points in the final five minutes, to help seal the win.
The team now prepares for a rematch with Team USA with a lineup that Thor nearly helped defeat in the prelim stages, scoring 14 points and a near game-winning 3 before falling 101-100 in the game’s final seconds.
Tip-off arrives Wednesday at 11 a.m. AKDT, and can be found on USA Network and streamed on Peacock.
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