Nairobi City Thunder outclassed by hosts APR in BAL Nile Conference opener
Nairobi City Thunder were handed a tough 92–63 defeat by hosts APR in their Basketball Africa League debut, as the Nile Conference tipped off in Kigali with all four teams chasing a historic playoff berth.
Kenyan side Nairobi City Thunder endured a rough start to their Basketball Africa League (BAL) campaign, falling 92 to 63 to hosts APR of Rwanda in the opening game of the Nile Conference group stage.
The match, played at the BK Arena in Kigali on Friday, marked the beginning of the final phase of the BAL’s fifth season. All four teams in the Nile Conference - APR of Rwanda, Al Ahli Tripoli of Libya, Made by Basketball from South Africa, and City Thunder- are making their BAL debuts. The tournament runs from May 17 to 25.
Thunder struggled to keep pace with APR’s intensity and execution, with the Rwandan champions taking control from the opening whistle. Aliou Diarra led the charge for APR with a game-high 21 points, while Chasson Randle added 20. For Thunder, veteran Tylor Ongwae scored 14 points, and William Sidney Davis II contributed 11. Youssoupha Ndoye of APR completed the top scorers with 9 points.
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Grouped with three strong opponents, City Thunder face a difficult challenge in the round-robin stage where only the top two teams will advance to the playoffs. The Kenyan outfit will need to bounce back quickly to keep their hopes of progression alive.
In the day’s other fixture, Al Ahli Tripoli put in a solid performance to defeat Made by Basketball 87 to 77, taking second place in the standings behind APR after Day One. Both Made by Basketball and City Thunder are at the bottom of the table after their opening defeats.
With only a few matches left to determine who advances, the Nile Conference promises intense competition as all four teams battle for a historic playoff spot in their first-ever BAL appearances.
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