By HeapNews
Nairobi City Thunder (Kenya) secured their first win of the 2025 Basketball Africa League (BAL) Nile Conference in style, pulling off a surprise 85-76 victory over South Africa’s MBB on Day 5 of the tournament.
Albert Odero led the charge with 23 points as Thunder delivered a well-rounded team performance, with five other players scoring in double figures. Their dominance on the boards (53-43) and lightning-fast transition play (27 fast break points) proved too much for MBB.
“We knew we had to bring energy and stay locked in,” said Odero. “This win is big for us, we’ve been building toward it, and today everything came together.”
Despite the loss, MBB’s Teafale Lenard Jr. stole the spotlight with a jaw-dropping 38 points, the highest single-game total of the 2025 BAL season so far.
“I’m proud of how I played, but we came here to win,” said Lenard. “We’ll regroup and come back stronger.”
In the day’s second game, Al Ahli Tripoli (Libya) extended their unbeaten streak to 5-0 with a high-octane 106-102 win over hosts APR (Rwanda). Jaylen Adams scored 26 points, while teammates Jean Jacques Boissy and Mohammed Sadi each added 15.
APR’s Obadiah Noel (30 points) and Chasson Randle (25 points) kept the home crowd on its feet, but the Rwandan side couldn’t complete the comeback.
“This was a test of our resilience,” Adams said. “APR pushed us hard, but we kept our composure. That’s what championship teams do.”
The electrifying clash also made BAL history, as Al Ahli became the first team this season to score over 100 points in three separate games, while it was the first time both teams hit the century mark in a single 2025 BAL contest.
The Nile Conference wraps up Sunday with two final matchups: Al Ahli Tripoli vs. MBB at 2:30 p.m., and Nairobi City Thunder vs. APR at 5:30 p.m. CAT.