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Nairobi City Thunder etched their name in the annals of history as the first Kenyan side to qualify for the Basketball Africa League (BAL) 2025
Backed by an expectant crowd, Thunder dismissed Ugandan champions City Oilers 72-62 in a thrilling semi-final clash at Kasarani Indoor Arena on Monday night to grab the remaining ticket of the Road to BAL 2025 East Division Elite 16 contest.
Kriol Star of Cape Verde defied all odds to beat highly fancied Urunani Basketball Club 90-82 and snatch the first spot.
With no Kenyan club qualifying for the past four editions of the continental challenge, Thunder’s dream seemed far-fetched as they embarked on the journey to succeed where their peers had failed.
Former Premier League champions Ulinzi Warriors and Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) failed to qualify for previous BAL editions.
While they were expected to focus on bagging the ticket to 2025 BAL, they chose a different approach with team captain Tyler Ongwae always emphasising that they were not focused on qualifying but winning a match at a time.
Their strategy and effort came to fruition as they saw off Ugandans to secure their place on the big boys table upon qualifying for the prestigious event.
“We are happy to make history for Kenya. It has not come easy because we spared no effort in training over the past three months preparing for this moment. Our training was tough but the dream was bigger and the desire to excel inspired us to push ourselves harder,” Ongwae said.
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Delighted to have anchored Thunder to history, coach Bradley Ibs lauded his charges saying they gave their all against the toughest side they had encountered so far.
“This is a historic moment for us and for the country and it feels great to be part of it. My players played a good game against a better team and left everything on the court.”
Teamwork and individual brilliance came into play as Thunder put up a spirited fight against the Oilers who were on a mission to secure their third consecutive BAL appearance.
The experienced trio of South Sudanese centre Ater Majok, Nigerian duo of point guard Uchenna Iroegbu and shooting guard Abdoulaye Harouna proved their worth as they propelled Thunder to victory.
Ongwae stood to be counted as his impeccable leadership skills would see his side outclass the Ugandans who were the better side on paper.
Majok top scored for Thunder with 17 points with Iroegbu and Ongwae adding 16 and 12 points. City Oilers’ Parrish Petty’s top scored with 23 points.
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