NAIROBI (Kenya) – In front of an electric crowd at the 5,000-seat Kasarani Indoor Arena, home team Nairobi City Thunder survived a late rally from Uganda’s City Oilers to win 72-62 and clinch the final ticket to the the Elite 16 East Division for BAL 2025.
The team made history by becoming the first Kenyan team to qualify for the BAL, achieving the feat on their debut in the Road to BAL.
Israel Otobo opened the game with Parrish Petty giving the Oilers a 4-2 lead, but Uche Iroegbu regained the lead at 7-6, Tylor Ongwae scored a basket to extend the lead to 10-06 and Ater Majok doubled the lead to 16-8 with two minutes left in the period.
The first quarter ended with a score of 18-11.
A 5-0 run for the hosts in the first minute of the second quarter allowed them to take a double-digit lead (23-11), with Petty scoring a double from behind the arc (23-18). Four threes, two on each side, ended the half with a score of 34-26 in favor of the Thunder.
Returning from the locker room, the Ugandans made a 6-0 to come back to a Thunder basket, but the Ibs protégés came back to 41-32. The Oilers did not want to give in and closed to 41-40 with a new series involving Petty’s killer shot. Thunder, however, managed to rally and score 54-45 thanks to a three-point basket from Garang Diing at the buzzer.
KPA tried it, but it’s the Nairobi City Thunder that will carry Kenya’s flag for the first time in the BAL.
KPA tried it, but it’s the Nairobi City Thunder that will carry Kenya’s flag for the first time in the BAL.
KPA tried it, but it’s the Nairobi City Thunder that will carry Kenya’s flag for the first time in the BAL.
KPA tried it, but it’s the Nairobi City Thunder that will carry Kenya’s flag for the first time in the BAL.
KPA tried it, but it’s the Nairobi City Thunder that will carry Kenya’s flag for the first time in the BAL.
THE TURNING POINT OF THE MATCH: Back-to-back Falando Cortez Jones shot from behind the arc in the final quarter to bring the Oilers within 66-60, Roger Dauna adding a basket for a four-point game, but Andrew’s men Tendo failed to swing the match in their favor.
HEROES: Uche Iroegbu was a real leader against the Oilers, scoring 16 points, one less than the leading scorer, dishing out six assists and grabbing five rebounds and four steals. With 27 efficiency points, the American-Nigerian only gave the ball away once, adding two blocks for a complete spectacle. Ater Majok’s double-double (17 points and 10 rebounds) allowed the home team to take the lead, despite losing 7 balls.
THE NUMBERS DON’T LIE: The Oilers missed 9 of their 16 free throws, most of them in crucial moments, but it was in the paint that they lost the thread of the game, falling behind 34-24. Thunder’s 10-of-29 shooting against the Ugandans’ 9-of-33 from behind the arc kept the home team in the game in moments of pressure for victory.
CONCLUSION : For its debut, Thunder qualifies for BAL 2025, joining Kriol Star from Cape Verde, who are also participating in the competition for the first time. The Oilers, for their part, are missing what would have been their third consecutive BAL campaign.
THEY SAID:
“This is a historic moment for us and for the country. We played a good match, against a team better than any we have faced so far, and my players sacrificed everything on the pitch for this moment. ” Thunder coach Bradley Ibs.
“We have worked hard over the last three months to prepare for this event. Our training has been very hard and this type of preparation has propelled us to this moment. We are happy to make history for Kenya.” Tylor Ongwae, captain of the Thunder.
“We had a slow start which allowed them to take a lead which we tried to make up for, but we couldn’t because they kept fighting. We missed the direct ticket and that’s a reminder to get back to work and better prepare for next time.” Andrew Tendo, manager of the City Oilers.
FIBA
