Nairobi City Thunder crush Tigers to end BAL campaign on high

Kenyan side Nairobi City Thunder ended their participation at the 2026 Basketball Africa League (BAL) on a high note after beating the previously unbeaten RSSB Tigers of Rwanda 101-92 at the Sunbet Arena in Pretoria, South Africa on Sunday 5 April.

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Thunder, who learnt on Saturday that they were knocked out of contention for the four playoff spots, made sure to leave their second BAL trip with their heads held high, after securing yet another win in the Kalahari Conference.

BAL debutant Dennis Ogechi was for the second game running the star of the show for Thunder, as he poured in a team-high 22 points to see Bradley Ibs’s side exit the competition with a decent 2-3 record, and carrying the proud tag of being the only team to conquer Rwanda’s Tigers, who only dropped one game all-through the conference match-ups.

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Thunder’s chase for a first BAL Finals appearance was confirmed to be over late Saturday evening, after Tanzanian rivals Dar City took the last remaining spot, this despite them finishing with a similar 2-3 record, having gone 104-92 down to RSSB Tigers.

As per the competition rules, Dar City edged Thunder on head-to-head advantage, having beaten them 90-85 on Saturday, 28 March.

Though carrying that disappointment a day later, Thunder put on their best offensive display as they got past the 100-point mark for the first time in the conference, all while dominating leaders Tigers.

Thunder, who were on this occasion without their injured guard Albert Odero, led by as many as 18 points as they took a 38-24 lead in the first quarter, before turning on the screw in the second frame to go up by 25 with little over five minutes left to play.

Tigers, however, responded with a 12-2 run, to cut the deficit to 13 going to the break.

The third quarter saw Thunder, fueled by two threes by skipper Tyler Ongwae and Ogechi, extend their lead back up to 19, and managed to end the frame with a 14-point advantage.

In the fourth, Tigers rallied back with six minutes left to trail by single digits (nine), but for an Ogechi, Garang Diing 6-0 run to bump up Thunder’s advantage, which they held on to expertly to eventually run out 101-92 winners.

Thunder’s 100th point came with two minutes of the game remaining, when Diing, who had a total 14 points, sank his first free-throw after a foul by Paul Bizimana.

Five Thunder players recorded double-digits, with Joseph Nzeakor, Ongwae, and Lance Thomas scoring 21, 17 and 14 points respectively.

Thunder, whose other win in the conference came against Johannesburg Giants on Tuesday, 31 March, finished fifth overall on the six-team standings.