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Thunder eye first win in BAL as playoff race heats up
Part of the action between Nairobi City Thunder and Al Ahli Tripoli during their Basketball Africa League match on May 18, 2025 in Kigali, Rwanda.
What you need to know:
- In the fourth, Thunder showed grit. Iroegbu exploded for 12 points and Adera added 10 in a spirited rally. The quarter ended 34-34, but the damage had already been done.
- Boissy led all scorers with 30 points off the bench. Adams contributed 26 points, 8 assists, and 3 steals. Sadi and Thompson added 20 and 21 points respectively.
In Kigali
Nairobi City Thunder will be aiming for their first victory in the 2025 Basketball Africa League (BAL) Nile Conference when they take on South Africa’s Made by Ball Basketball (MBB) at 5pm (Kenyan Time) Tuesday at the BK Arena.
The Kenyan side’s debut in the competition has been challenging, suffering defeats in their opening two games, leaving them at the bottom of the four-team group with no points. Fellow newcomers MBB, also winless in two matches, are in third place.
Home team Armee Patriotique Rwandaise (APR) lead the group with two wins, followed closely by newbies Al Ahli Tripoli of Libya, who have also won both of their matches. Each team will play their group opponents twice in the tournament, which concludes on May 25.
Today’s clash is a must-win for both Thunder and MBB if they hope to qualify for the BAL playoffs, scheduled for June 6–14 at the SunBet Arena in Pretoria, South Africa.
Nairobi City Thunder's Eugene Adera (right) tries to get past an Al Ahli Tripoli player during their Basketball Africa League match on May 18, 2025 in Kigali, Rwanda.
The top two teams from the Nile Conference will automatically qualify for the 2025 BAL playoffs. The third-place finisher still has a chance, advancing as one of the two best-ranked third-place teams across the three conferences.
From the Kalahari Conference, Al Ittihad Alexandria (Egypt) and Nigeria’s Rivers Hoopers have already secured their spots. Tunisia’s Union Sportive Monastirienne and Angola’s Clube Atlético Petroleos de Luanda progressed from the Sahara Conference as top two finishers.
Cape Verde’s Kriol Star claimed one of the two best third-place spots, while Morocco’s Fath Union Sports de Rabat finished third in the Sahara Conference with two wins.
Three wins for either Thunder or MBB would provide a better win ratio than Fath Union, raising the stakes of today’s encounter significantly.
Thunder go into today’s encounter following a 115-87 loss to Al Ahli Tripoli on Sunday.
Al Ahli’s 115-point haul set a new BAL record for the most points by a team in a single game, surpassing the previous record of 113 points set by Tunisia’s US Monastir against Madagascar’s GNBC in the league’s inaugural 2021 season.
Speaking after the match, Thunder head coach Brad Ibs voiced his frustration.
“Obviously, our consistency hasn’t been there. We’ll preach that tomorrow, we have to play every possession to our Thunder standards and hope that helps turn things around. We need to correct it quickly,” he said.
Eugene Adera, one of the team’s bright spots, remained hopeful.
“We just have to stay connected. We have a couple of games to go and that’s what we’re focusing on. We’ll watch the film and get better,” he charged.
The Libyan side seized control early, capitalising on Thunder’s slow start—who missed their first five shots. Led by captain Mohamed Sadi with seven points, Al Ahli comfortably took the first quarter 24-18.
Thunder responded in the second quarter through key plays by William Davis, Uchenna Iroegbu, and Tylor Ongwae, briefly narrowing the gap to 39-35. But Deon Thompson (10 points) and Sadi (seven) powered Al Ahli to a 53-38 half-time lead.
The third quarter proved pivotal. Al Ahli opened with an 18-3 run, as Jaylen Adams dropped 11 points and Jean Jacques Boissy added 10, widening the margin to 71-41. Despite efforts from Tylor Ongwae (five), Eugene Adera (four), and Kennedy Wachira (three), Thunder trailed 81-53 going into the final quarter.
In the fourth, Thunder showed grit. Iroegbu exploded for 12 points and Adera added 10 in a spirited rally. The quarter ended 34-34, but the damage had already been done.
Boissy led all scorers with 30 points off the bench. Adams contributed 26 points, 8 assists, and 3 steals. Sadi and Thompson added 20 and 21 points respectively.
