Al Ahly Top Sahara Conference as Maktown Flyers Bow Out

Al Ahly Top Sahara Conference as Maktown Flyers Bow Out

By Admin 

Nigeria’s Maktown Flyers have been eliminated from the Sahara Conference of the Basketball Africa League following a 79-62 defeat to Senegalese side ASC Ville de Dakar in Rabat, Morocco, BSNSports.com.ng reports.

The crucial final-day clash saw Dakar secure the last available playoff spot after completing a remarkable turnaround from an 0-2 start in the competition.

Samba Fall starred for the Senegalese side with 20 points and eight rebounds, while Lamine Badji added a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds. Mouhamed Camara also contributed 12 points and nine rebounds in a dominant team performance.

Maktown Flyers struggled to keep pace despite efforts from JC Butler Jr., who scored 16 points, and Peter Olisemeka, who recorded 12 points and nine rebounds.

The defeat ended the Nigerian side’s campaign with a 1-4 record, while ASC Ville de Dakar advanced to the BAL playoffs with a 3-2 finish.

In the second game of the day, Egypt’s Al Ahly secured top spot in the Sahara Conference after edging Morocco’s FUS Rabat 77-71 in a dramatic double-overtime encounter — only the second double-overtime game in BAL history.

Zack Lofton and Malek Abdelgawad led Al Ahly with 17 points each, while Abdelgawad also dominated the boards with 18 rebounds. FUS Rabat, inspired by Anthony Pritchard’s 14 points, pushed the Egyptian side throughout the contest but were ultimately undone by costly turnovers in overtime.

Following the conclusion of the Sahara Conference, Club Africain, Al Ahly, ASC Ville de Dakar and FUS Rabat have all qualified for the 2026 BAL Playoffs scheduled to take place in Kigali.

Organisers also confirmed that nearly 35,000 fans attended the BAL games held in Morocco, with the playoffs set to tip off on May 22.