NAIROBI (Kenya) - Nairobi City Thunder head to the fifth edition of the Basketball Africa League (BAL) as the East Division Elite 16 champions after seeing off Cape Verde's Kriol Star 99-86.
This was a repeat of the group stage clash that was Kriols only loss (104-71) before playing the hosts in the Final.
The hosts raced to a 14-11 early but the Islanders kept things close, the first quarter ending 27-22 in favour of Brad Ibs' charges.
In a half that had seven lead changes and two ties, most in the opening quarter, Thunder went 30-19 in the second quarter, Ariel Okall leading the charge with 11 points to see Thunder take a 57-41 lead heading to the locker rooms.
TURNING POINT: The second quarter rally for Thunder to take a 16-point lead that was further stretched to 20 in the opening two minutes of the third was the momentum the home side needed to dominate. The match played out in quarters of 27-22, 30-19, 23-16, before the Islanders went 29-19 ahead in the last period.
HERO: What a game for Garang Diing! The forward shot 4-of-5 from range to lead the side on 20 points, two more than Ken Wachira. However, it was Eugene Adera's heroics for a game high 31 in efficiency that takes the honours. He shot a rare double-double of 14 assists and 12 points, adding six defensive rebounds and as many steals in the win.
STATS DON'T LIE: Patrick McGlynn who has been Kriols knight in shining armour was surely missed in a match that the hosts dominated from the second quarter. The hosts went 32-15 on fast breaks, 29-12 on points off turnovers and 44-13 off the bench to take the win. Both teams shot 12-of-29 from behind the arc.
BOTTOM LINE: With both sides having achieved their target in Nairobi, they played for pride and ranking, the hosts, once more, proving too strong for the Islanders.
THEY SAID: "It was tough playing this side with a lean rotation after five matches. We couldn't match them as they had a full squad. We missed Patrick McGlynn who has been a big part of our run. We tried to fight until the end but in the end, they were the better team. Congratulations to Thunder for the win and for qualifying. Now we have time to prepare better for BAL and we will be ready," Kriol Star head coach Hugo Da Silva Salgado.
"It has been an amazing experience going 5-0 Infront of our our fans who kept showing up for us each game. We have learned a lot and as we start preparations for the Conferences , we will have experience on what we need to do. We will, however, want to keep some of the things we have been doing, like building a good team chemistry," Bradley Ibs, head coach Nairobi City Thunder.