By Timothy Kiptoo
Nairobi City Thunder finally broke their losing streak in the Basketball Africa League (BAL) with a thrilling 85-76 victory over South Africa’s Made By Basketball (MBB) on Saturday evening at the BK Arena in Kigali, Rwanda.
The Kenyan champions came into the encounter under pressure, having suffered four straight defeats in their opening Nile Conference matches. But with pride on the line and a point to prove, Thunder turned up the heat.
In a tightly contested game, it was the final quarter that made the difference. Thunder released thunderbolts to outplay MBB in the closing stages to avenge their heartbreaking 75-74 loss earlier in the week at the same venue.
A dream comes true
Thunder's captain, Tylor Ongwae, envisioned Thunder tightening its grip to win upcoming games in a thunderbolt.
“We still think we can win the remaining games,” said the Thunder captain after a training session in Cairo. “Our mood is still good. It’s about taking it a quarter at a time. The confidence is there.”
The Kenyan side found the going tough in their debut BAL season, falling to Al Ahly Ly, Petro de Luanda, and MBB. Thunder’s head coach Brad Ibs struck a similar tone of belief and focus ahead of their fourth game.
“Our target remains the same—win the remaining three games. More importantly, we want to keep improving every time we step on the court. If we do that, the wins will come,” he said.
Today's win has set the pace for the team despite previous losses. Thunder now faces a must-win scenario in their remaining group games to stand a chance of qualifying for the BAL playoffs set for South Africa in June.
