Nairobi City Thunder outplay Beau Vallon Heat in Road to BAL debut

Uchenna Iroegbu (center) in action for Nairobi City Thunder. [FIBA]

Kenyan champions Nairobi City Thunder marked their debut in the Road to BAL with an emphatic 89-53 victory over Seychelles' Beau Vallon Heat in the opening match of Group D in the East Division.

Thunder’s dynamic duo, William Sydney Davis II 'Will' and Uchenna Iroegbu, each posted double-doubles to lead their team to a commanding win.

Will was the star of the game, delivering a game-high 26 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. His American-Nigerian teammate, Iroegbu, added a rare double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds, ensuring Thunder's dominant performance in their first-ever Road to BAL appearance.

The match started as a see-saw affair, with Beau Vallon Heat racing to an early 7-2 lead. However, Thunder quickly responded, leveling the score at 7-7. Derrick Ogechi put Thunder in the lead for the first time with a crucial three-pointer, taking the score to 10-7.

Despite Thunder's efforts to pull away, Gregory Scholastique's Beau Vallon Heat kept the contest close, trailing by just four points (20-16) at the end of the first quarter.

The Kenyan side returned for the second period with renewed energy, outscoring Beau Vallon 23-13 to take a comfortable 14-point lead at halftime. Beau Vallon’s captain, Timmy Adam, acknowledged Thunder’s strength, crediting his team for battling through the match.

"It was a hard game. Thunder are a tough side, and I have to congratulate my players for fighting to the end. We matched them on everything in the first quarter, but poor defending towards the end of the second quarter cost us, and we couldn’t recover from that," Adam told FIBA.basketball.

Coach Gregory Scholastique echoed his captain’s sentiments, adding that missed scoring opportunities also hindered their ability to challenge Thunder. "We missed some easy baskets that could have changed the game’s trajectory. We have to correct these mistakes before the next match," he said.

Maintaining their momentum, Thunder controlled the third quarter 19-11 and sealed the win with a 27-18 surge in the fourth. Skipper Tylor Ongwae admitted that while the team started slowly, they found their rhythm as the game progressed.

"We started slow, which is understandable since we hadn't played in about a week," Ongwae said. "Overall, we played hard and stuck together for this win. I know we can get better, and we’ll be at the top of our game against Urunani."

Thunder’s head coach, Bradley Ibs, attributed the slow start to early-game jitters. "It was a funny game. We missed some easy layups and crucial passes, and we got lazy on defense," Ibs explained. "These small mistakes helped keep them in the game longer than we would have liked, but I’m confident we’ll be better in the second match against Urunani."

Thunder's next challenge in Group D will be against Burundi’s champions, Urunani, as they aim to build on this strong start and secure a spot in the later stages of the Road to BAL.

With a commanding victory under their belt and valuable lessons learned from the opening match, Nairobi City Thunder are poised to make a strong run in their debut tournament.