City Oilers torch Ferroviario da Beira to storm Elite 16 Semis
It is the end of the road for Beira, who closed their Group B campaign in third place on a 1-2 mark, but for Oilers, work continues as they look to finish in the top three for another shot at the BAL.
JOHANNESBURG (South Africa) - For the first time in the history of Basketball Africa League (BAL) Mozambique will have no representative in the 2024 edition.
Ferroviario da Maputo made it to the inaugural edition with Beira taking part in 2022 and 2023 editions.
Their representatives in the East Division Elite 16 ongoing in Johannesburg, Ferraviario da Beira were bundled out of contention after going down 100-86 to Ugandan champions City Oilersin the final group stage match to exit the competition on a 1-2 rally.
The Mandy Juruni-led Oilers dominated the last three quarters of the game for the win that gives them an opportunity to play for a place in the fourth edition of BAL.
Robinson Opong
Titus Odeke and Tony Drileba, who was introduced in the second quarter, put up impressive numbers with 8 points each to lead the Ugandan champions to a 41-39 lead in the first half.
The first quarter had gone to the Mozambicans 19-17 but Mandy Juruni's charges went 24-20 in the second for the slim advantage.
Third and fourth quarter 27-22 and 32-25 performances handed them victory, becoming the second side - since FPA trounced Espoir BC 104-56 - to hit the 100-point mark in this BAL qualifiers.
Dane Miller and Germaine Roeburk celebrate as City Oilers win Group B with a perfect 3-0 record
TURNING POINT: In a match that had 12 lead changes and 11 ties, Oilers 32-25 run in the final stanza sealed the deal for the Ugandans who will be joined by Madagascar's COSPN from group B in to the semis.
HERO: Talk of being efficient when it matters the most! Tonny Drileba, who had no points in the first match and managed 3 in the second clash, scored 13 to compliment Germaine Roebuck Jr's double-double of 20 points and 11 rebounds. Parrish Petty added 17 with Robinson Opong good for 15 in the win.
STATS DON'T LIE: Jermel Kennedy and Kenneti Mendes who had led Ferroviario's offense in previous matches were held to 0 and 2 points respectively in the first half, a huge dent to Luis Lopez's attempt at survival from the group stage.
Despite dominating the paint 42-26, Oilers went 38-13 up to destroy any hopes Beira had for victory.
BOTTOM LINE: It is the end of the road for Beira, who closed their Group B campaign in third place on a 1-2 mark, but for Oilers, work continues as they look to finish in the top three for another shot at the BAL.
WHAT THEY SAID: "It has been tough for us as we came into the competition without any scrimmage matches. We have been improving with each match. These team's are good and we have had to come back strong in every second half to win.
"The work is not done yet. We take some rest, watch our films ahead of the semis as we hope to bring our A game for a chance at qualification." - Robinson Opong, City Oilers shooting guard.
"We started the competition well with a win but we couldn't build on that. We pick lessons from here and hope to come back stronger for the next edition." - Helton Ubisse, Ferroviario da Beira power forward.
FIBA