Road to BAL: Winning start for Nairobi City Thunder

Coach Brad Ibs has tipped Nairobi City Thunder to have a better show when they play their second match at the ongoing Road to BAL (Basketball Africa League), despite dominating their opening match 89-58 against Seychelles' Beau Vallon Heat.

The tactician attributed their slow start in a close first quarter to jitters, assuring that there is no cause to worry against the tougher sides.

"It was a funny game. We missed some easy layups, some passes that were crucial but I attribute this to first-game jitters, despite having played a couple of friendlies. We also got lazy on defense and were not clinical offensively and this small things contributed to the slow start and we helped them stay in the game longer than we would have wanted," Ibs opened up.

The tactician elected to start his foreign legion led by centre player William Sydney Davis II (Will) , guard Uchenna Iroegbu and forwards Tylor Ongwae, Derrick Ogechi and Garang Diing but his quintet was stunned as Beau Vallon raced to an early 7-2 lead.

The Kenyan side settled in, pulling themselves back to level the score at seven with Ogechi handing the lead for the first time with a trey for 10-07 as they went on to lead 20-14 at the end of the quarter.

Beau Vallon returned for the second with a vengeance, coming close at 22-20 with seven minutes to play in the second period.

Will, however, pulled his side away with back-to-back baskets off a steal and a layup for 26-21, Ongwae making it a 7-point game at 28-21 with 4.52 to play. Thunder made it 33-23 six minutes into the second period forcing the Seychelles side to a timeout as they looked to change tact.

Will was an asset for Ibs on both ends of the court as his timely blocks and assists on offense propelled Thunder to a 43-29 lead at the conclusion of the first half.

Thunder kept the second quarter momentum in the third and fourth stanzas, going ahead 19-11 and 27-18 for the convincing victory.

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