Thunder gunning for second win as they face Islanders Kriol

The chase for a ticket to the fifth edition of the Basketball Africa League (BAL) continues for Nairobi City Thunder as they take on Cape Verde’s Kriol Star on Friday 29 November at Nyayo gymnasium from 8 PM.

Bradley Ibs’ charges made their debut in the East Division Elite 16, ongoing in Nairobi, with a comeback 102-59 victory over South Africa’s MBB Blue Soldiers with Nigerien import Abdoulaye Harouna leading the charge.

Elite 16: Nairobi City Thunder brush aside MBB in perfect show of might

The host team in the eight-team competition will look to ride on this momentum as they take on star-studded Kriol who have the likes of Kenneti Mendes and Joel Almeida in their ranks.

The Islanders come to the match on a first-day win as well, having dispensed Malawi’s Bravehearts 89-58.

Speaking after their match against MBB, Harouna, who has featured in the last four editions of BAL says Thunder’s resolve is to qualify for the semis set for Monday 2 December, and ensure they win that game to qualify.

“We had a slow start but as we settled in after the opening quarter it was a great finish. Winning and seeing the fans happy is what we play for and this has been a great night," Harouna offered after the game.

Explaining their nervy start, the shooting guard, who has played in all previous four BAL editions and comes loaded with experience for NCT who are chasing history for Kenya, said: "MBB made some tough shots in the first quarter but we knew they could not sustain that for long. We took charge in the second quarter through to the last for the victory. We hope to keep this momentum with Monday night in mind,” he concluded.