Nairobi City Thunder made history on Sunday by securing a spot in the Elite 16, the final qualifying phase for Africa’s men’s Premier club competition, Basketball Africa League (BAL) after defeating JKT 86-63 in their final match at Kibaha Court, Tanzania.
They finished second in Group D after managing three wins out of four games played.
Thunder now joins the list of Kenya’s Ulinzi Warriors and Kenya Ports Authority for the teams that have ever qualified in the elite 16 stage.
The defending champions opened the competition with a significant 89-53 victory against Beau Vallon Heat but faced a narrow 89-88 loss to Burundian champions Urunani.
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They bounced back in their third match, decisively defeating Madagascar’s GNBC 96-60.
In their final match against JKT, Thunder dominated all four quarters: they won the first quarter 20-18, the second 23-9, the third 20-23, and the fourth 25-11, earning a place in the final qualifying phase alongside Urunani, who completed the competition unbeaten.
This marks the first time Nairobi City Thunder is participating in the Road to BAL in the East Division, following an unbeaten season in the Kenya Basketball League.
Derrick Ogechi led the Thunder’s offense with an impressive performance, scoring 24 points, grabbing 7 rebounds, dishing out 3 assists, and securing 1 steal in just over 28 minutes on the floor. Thunder attempted 10 three-pointers in the opening quarter but only managed to make two.
Nairobi City Thunder make history
Ogechi expressed the team’s aspirations of going through the elite 16 unbeaten but acknowledged the disappointment of their narrow loss to Urunani.
He noted that playing against Tanzania JKT in their final match was challenging, but they made timely adjustments for victory.
“We came here with a target of going unbeaten to qualify. A heartbreaking one-point loss to Urunani denied us a perfect run but we are happy to be in the Elite 16.
Playing the home team in our final match was not easy. We struggled to make stops in the beginning but made adjustments in time for victory. The first hurdle is done so we shift our focus to Elite 16,” Derrick Ogechi told FIBA
Thunders have three weeks to regroup and get ready for the final qualifying phase, which is set to begin on November 12.
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