Prime
City Oilers miss out on BAL party
Despite winning 10 league titles in a row at home, Oilers will not be at the BAL. PHOTO/JOHN BATANUDDE
What you need to know:
The Ugandan champions were second best throughout the game and succumbed to the star-studded Thunder side that was rallied by a partisan crowd in the Kasarani Indoor Arena.
There will be no Ugandan representation in next year’s Basketball Africa League following City Oilers’ 72-62 loss to Nairobi City Thunder in the Road To BAL semifinal played Monday night in the Kenyan capital.
The Ugandan champions were second best throughout the game and succumbed to the star-studded Thunder side that was rallied by a partisan crowd in the Kasarani Indoor Arena.
Thunder, looking to become the first Kenyan team to kick the BAL door open, started on the front foot, with Nigerian guard Uche Iroegbu and Tylor Ongwae providing early offence for the home team.
The opening quarter ended 18-11 but a 5-0 run to start the second frame saw Thunder take a double-digit lead before back-to-back threes from Petty Parrish ensured the lead remained close.
Thunder carried an eight-point advantage (34-26) into the halftime break and Oilers had it all to do in the second half to return to the BAL for a third straight season.
In the second half, Petty Parrish knocked down shots to get Oilers back into the contest and the lead was sliced to a single point (41-40) before Ongwae punished poor transition defence from the Ugandan champions to score on the other end and spark a run for Thunder.
Garang Diing beat the buzzer from three-point range to end the third quarter with a nine-point advantage (54-45) for the hosts.
Falando Jones got hot down the stretch, twice connecting from down town to reduce the deficit to six points (66-60) and Rogers Dauna added a bucket in transition to further cut it to four points.
But Thunder regrouped, with Ater Majok and Abdoulaye Harouna making big plays to close the contest and send the home crowd into wild celebrations.
Israel Otobo recorded yet another double-double, scoring 12 and collecting 11 rebounds but that will count for nothing in the end as Oilers return home without meeting their target.
Parrish scored 23 points while Falando Jones added 15 on the night.
For Thunder, Majok’s double-double of 17 points and 10 rebounds, came in handy. Iroegbu (16), Ongwae (12) and Diing (11) are some of the team’s other performers on the historic night witnessed by BAL President Amadou Gallo Fall.
Cape Verde side Kriol Stars defeated Burundian giants Urunani 90-82 in the first semifinal to book the other ticket and become one of the new sides expected to take part in Season Five of Africa’s premier competition.
Egypt’s Al Ittihad Alexandria, Libya’s Al Ahli Tripoli and Senegal’s Ville de Dakar are the other new entrants into the competition that will tip off with the Sahara Conference on April 26, 2025.
Tuesday’s schedule will see Thunder taking on Kriol Stars in the final while Oilers face Urunani in the third-place playoff game.
Basketball Africa League Qualifiers
East Division Elite 16
Semifinal results
Urunani 82-90 Kriol Stars
Nairobi City Thunder 72-62 City Oilers
