South Africa’s Cape Town Tigers have clinched a spot in the semifinals of the Basketball Africa League (BAL) finals after a thrilling overtime victory against FUS Rabat on Sunday.
In a fiercely contested quarter-final clash, the Tigers emerged victorious with a narrow 91-88 win, sending the BK Arena crowd into a frenzy.
Facing off against the top-seeded FUS de Rabat, the eighth-seeded Tigers entered the matchup as underdogs but displayed resilience and determination throughout the game.
Trailing by three points with just two seconds remaining in regulation time, the Tigers forced overtime courtesy of a buzzer-beater from Samkelo Cele. Despite facing foul trouble, the Tigers maintained their composure, ultimately securing their first-ever BAL semifinal appearance.
Star guard Dhieu Deng, a key contributor for the Tigers, required medical attention after a collision with an opponent during the game. However, his teammates rallied to secure the historic victory.
Cele led the Tigers with an impressive 30-point performance, supported by Cartier Diarra with 15 points and Ngor Manyang contributing 13 points off the bench.
Although FUS Rabat put up a valiant effort, highlighted by Aliou Diarra’s double-double performance of 18 points and 16 rebounds, it wasn’t enough to overcome the Tigers’ resilience.
Teenager Mohamed Sylla made a notable impact for FUS Rabat, finishing with 15 points and 11 rebounds, but the team fell short in their bid for victory.
Nkosinathi Sibanyoni, the Tigers’ center, hailed the win as a “historic moment” for South African basketball.
Cape Town Tigers will now face Libya’s Al Ahly Ly in the semifinals, while FUS Rabat concludes their BAL campaign with a 4-2 record.
In the first quarterfinal match of the day, Al Ahly Ly secured their semifinal berth with an 86-77 victory over defending champions Al Ahly, marking their first-ever appearance in the BAL semifinals.
The race for the remaining two semifinal spots resumes on Monday, May 27, with Rivers Hoopers taking on US Monastir at 5:00 pm (Kigali-time), followed by AS Douanes versus Petro de Luanda at 8:00 pm (Kigali-time).
