US Monastir have booked themselves a dominant 91-83 win against Kriol Star. This exciting contest unfolded just last week in the inaugural Basketball Africa League (BAL). Kriol Star aside, this game featured the league’s other rookie debuting. Their hardest challenge yet came in the form of US Monastir, who had previously beaten the host team, ASC Ville de Dakar (ASCVD), twice.
As soon as play began, US Monastir’s dominance was on display. Patrick Hardy quickly took charge, scoring a blistering 12 points in the first quarter. His dynamic performance on the court aided his squad as they built an early 8-point lead. At the end of that first quarter, US Monastir was winning 29-17.
Radhouane Slimane showed off his shooting range during an 11-0 run that pushed the lead to 35-12. Kriol Star responded with determination. Joel Ntambwe, Ivan Almeida, Cameron Parker and Kenneti Mendes ignited Kriol Star with an explosive 9-0 run to open the second quarter. Their inspiring play erased an early deficit and rejuvenated the belief of Caps fans.
Although Kriol Star were making shots, US Monastir continued to keep the lead, going into halftime up 48-34.
In individual performance news, Patrick Hardy had a dazzling game, finishing with 29 points and 6 assists. US Monastir’s Firas Lahyani did heavy damage, matching his teammate with 15 points, to go with 8 rebounds and 5 assists.
Kriol Star had standout performances. Joel Ntambwe was the leader of his team with 21 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 assists. Cameron Parker added 16 points to go with 10 assists and he recorded a steal. On the other end, Ivan Almeida scored 20 points and racked in 4 rebounds.
Kriol Star talks about their experience as the very first entrants into this new competitive space. Not surprisingly, Ntambwe stresses that the team values team wins and advancement ahead of personal records.
“Honestly, I don’t really care about my personal baskets, rebounds and stuff like that. It’s more about trying to get a win and to qualify for the playoffs in South Africa,” – Joel Ntambwe
Coming into this game, all four teams—Kriol Star, US Monastir, Petro de Luanda and ASCVD—were 2-2. However, only the top two teams from this group will win automatic berths into the postseason. THE COUNTDOWN BEGINS! These thrilling matches will soon be in South Africa.
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