Thunder open Elite 16 with convincing victory over Namuwongo Blazers
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Reading Time: 3min | Tue. 18.11.25. | 22:16
The Bradley Ibs led side is looking to dominate the East Division for back-to-back BAL appearances
Nairobi City Thunder (NCT), the host team of the East Division Elite 16, launched their campaign with a dominant 89-62 victory over Ugandan side Namuwongo Blazers.
The contest was tightly contested in the first half, with Blazers rallying early behind Jovan James Mooring’s quick scoring, which helped them establish an 11-5 lead. Tylor Ongwae responded for NCT, tying the game at 15 and eventually ending the first quarter narrowly behind at 25-23.
NCT kept knocking, Eugene Adera's layup off a fastbreak restoring their lead at 29-28 and again at 32-30 off David Deng Kongor Deng's three.
The Ugandans refused to budge, keeping the difference below five. Tony Drileba tied the game at 40, but Lance Thomas replied with a trey, his third in as many attempts, to give the hosts a three-point advantage at halftime.
The third quarter saw a surge from NCT, particularly from Albert Odero, who scored 11 points in this period, including his first three-pointer, helping the hosts extend their lead to 67-51 by the end of the quarter.
"The start was all about first game jitters, but we got it through in the second half. That's a championship team, they just won their national league, and we couldn't take them for granted.
We will get better game by game. Despite the slow start, we are not worried. Sometimes you get into rhythm slowly, but I believe in the squad. We have been together for a while and we are able to come together, regroup and push for those wins," NCT's Odero said after the victory.
Coach Bradley Ibs' charges capitalising on their speed, and superior rebounding (61-47 advantage), and fast-break efficiency (24-8) played crucial roles in pulling away.
In the final stanza, the Kenyan champions maintained their momentum with a 22-11 quarter, sealing the game comfortably.
Leading NCT's scorers were American forward Thomas and Odero with 18 and 16 points respectively, while Derrick Ogechi and Ongwae contributed 14 and 13 points. Ater Majok’s defensive efforts also stood out, pulling down 11 rebounds.
Blazers’ top performers were Mooring with 15 points and James Okello with 11, who tried to keep their team afloat despite the loss.
"It was a tough encounter, but we expected that at this level. It was relatively close until the third quarter, when we went away from what was working in the opening half.
We stopped playing as a unit, and allowed them a couple of fast breaks off our very bad offense. We did not make the best choice of shots, and that kept their momentum going.
We have one more match in the group and we will make adjustments before tomorrow's tough clash, hoping to get back to winning ways," Namuwongo Blazers forward Drileba offered.
The home side enjoys a day's rest before getting back in action against Johannesburg Giants on Thursday as they look to advance to the all-important semis unbeaten.
