HARARE (Zimbabwe) - On the penultimate day of the Road to BAL Group E Division East, competing clubs gave themselves the best chance of inching closer to the Elite 16.
Fox Basketball Club opened the weekend's action against Bravehearts. The South Sudanese representative came into the match on the back of a loss to Matero Magic on Friday, while their Malawain opponents got their first win against Botswana Defence Force on the same day.
Here is how things panned out at the City Sports Centre:
Banda and Brave Hearts shock Fox
Harrison Banda's 22 points and nine rebounds led Bravehearts to a memorable 65-60 victory over Fox Basketball Club, in a win that relaunched the Malawians' campaign in Harare and gave them hope of making the Elite 16.
The short-handed Bravehearts also had contributions from Faad Billy, who had a double-double (13 points and 11 rebounds) and Ian Limbe, who scored 16 points.
Bravehearts, trailing until the third quarter, showed their mettle in the second half. After being down 47-42 in the third quarter, the Malawians took over the fourth, especially in the final minute, with the game tied at 60-60. Solitary free-throws from Banda and Billy and a bucket from the latter put the game out of reach for Fox.
"I am super excited for this win because we lost our first two games. I want to thank the guys for their discipline," said Banda. "It was a tough match because of their height. They come from a top country in basketball (South Sudan), so the win means basketball is growing in Malawi. So this win means a lot," said Banda.
Costa do Sol break stubborn BDF
Danillo Cumbe's game-high 21 points helped Costa do Sol overcome a stubborn Botswana Defence Force (BDF) 64-56.
The Maputo-based side are now among three other teams who will fight for the last ticket on offer for the next round on the last day on Sunday, October 27.
Cumbe reflected on the team's and his performance.
"It feels good. We worked hard for this victory. We will try our best for the remaining game (against Brave Hearts)," said Cumbe, adding: "I am happy with my performance. I work hard every day to improve myself, and my performance helped the team win."
For the winless BDF, the Road to BAL journey has ended, and they will only play for pride in their final game against Matero Magic on Sunday. After game-day 4, BDF register a 0-4 mark.
Costa do Sol - coming into the fixture with a victory - started strong, racing into a 25-9 lead in the first quarter, but the men from Botswana found some rhythm and finished the quarter 11 points down (34-23).
BDF did try to show some resistance in the third quarter as three points (49-46) separated them and Costa going into the fourth, but the Mozambicans were too strong in the end.
Mukelabai shine with 30 points for Matero
Elijah Mukelabai's 30 points helped fire Matero Magic to an 82-68 win over host club Basket Hounds - the victory guarantees the Zambian club a 4-0 record and safe passage to the Elite 16.
Matero's unbeaten run was also aided by Martin Zubillaga's 18 points, 14 points from Saul Phiri and a double-double (10 points and 10 rebounds) from Chona Chongo.
The clash between Matero and Hounds, the host club, had a lot riding on it. For Matero, who were yet to lose in Group E before the fixture against Hounds, a win would mean direct qualification to the Elite 16 with a game remaining.
Hounds, who came in with a 2-1 record, needed a lift after losing to Costa do Sol on Friday.
The home side, Hounds, hung with a strong Matero club and led by a point at half-time (35-34), but they could not sustain their momentum as Matero fired on all cylinders in the second half and marched to a 14-point win.
Standings of East Division, Group E after teams played four games each:
*Qualified to the Elite 16 Round.
FIBA