Nairobi City Thunder qualified for the Africa Basketball League elite sixteen round after finishing second during the Eastern Division Group D qualifiers held in Dar E Salam Tanzania.
Thunder sealed their slot in the elite league after seeing off round of 16 Jeshi LA Kujenga Taifa,JKT, of Tanzania 83-63 in their final round robbin match.
Thunder won the first and second periods 20-18 and 23-0 respectively.Despite losing the third quarter 23-20 Thunder sealed their win with an emphatic fourth quarter victory of 25-11.
JKT missed all their attempts in the last five minutes of the opening half, as the Thunder went on a 14-0 run to take a 12-point lead that proved a real game changer.
The home team came close severally in the second half but the second quarter dent had already done them in.
Derrick Ogechi dropped 24 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists and a steal in just over 28 minutes on the floor to lead Thunder’s offense.
“We came here with a target of going unbeaten to qualify. A heartbreaking one-point loss to Urunani denied us a perfect run but we are happy to be in the Elite 16. Playing the home team in our final match was not easy. We struggled to make stops in the beginning but made adjustments in time for victory. The first hurdle is done so we shift our focus to Elite 16,” – Nairobi City Thunder’s Derrick Ogechi.
Thunder had opened their campaign with 89-58 win against Seychelles Beau Vallon Heat Bsketball Club before slumping to a half basket loss 88-89 to Urunani.
Thunder also beat Madagascar’s GNBC 96-60.Thunder and Burundi’s Urunani who finished the competition unbeaten will now represent the region in the elite round which will bring together a total of 16 clubs and is set to tip off on November 2nd..
