DAKAR, Senegal – The reigning BAL champions, Petro de Luanda, secured a crucial 76-67 victory against ASC Ville de Dakar, the hosts of the Sahara Conference. This win places Petro de Luanda in a strong position, making their qualification for the June playoffs in Pretoria highly likely as they head into the final day of fixtures.
Entering the weekend, all four teams in the Sahara Conference were level with two wins from four games, each having two matches remaining. The top two teams will automatically advance to the playoffs in South Africa. The third-place team has a chance to qualify if their regular season performance is superior to at least one third-place team from the other two conferences.
FUS Rabat previously finished third in the Kalahari Conference hosted last month. The Nile Conference is scheduled to be held in Kigali from May 17-25.
In Saturday`s earlier game, US Monastir defeated Kriol Star 91-83. This result significantly boosted Monastir`s playoff prospects, though mathematically, all four teams still had a chance going into Sunday`s games.
The late game started with a back-and-forth first quarter as Petro and ASCVD traded baskets. Glofate Buiamba was a key contributor for Petro early on, scoring 10 points in the first period and helping the champions establish a 25-18 lead by the end of the quarter. For ASCVD, Will Perry made crucial shots, while Ater Majok delivered his usual strong performance on offense and defense.
Despite the continued enthusiastic drumming from the crowd, the atmosphere in Dakar Arena shifted as both the fans and ASCVD players showed signs of frustration during a dominant second quarter by Petro. Tensions rose, including a verbal exchange between Makhtar Gueye and opponents. Dakar struggled to contain the experienced guard Solo Diabaté, who was playing effectively. Petro extended their lead significantly, heading into halftime with a commanding 47-32 advantage.
ASCVD began the second half positively with a 7-0 run, but Petro quickly regained control, preventing the home crowd from building momentum. Petro then responded with their own 7-0 scoring run.
Samba Dali Fall boosted ASCVD`s hopes with consecutive three-pointers, reigniting belief among the spectators. However, Rigoberto Mendoza countered immediately with a three-pointer for Petro, halting Dakar`s surge. Mendoza`s strong performance in the third quarter made it difficult for the hosts to significantly reduce the deficit.
True to his style, Will Perry continued to compete hard, sinking a three-pointer. Majok then added a characteristic dunk, followed by another dunk from Gueye after Mendoza committed a turnover. The remainder of the quarter featured exchanged baskets.
Entering the final quarter, ASCVD were still within reach, but Petro maintained a comfortable 63-54 lead. Majok opened the fourth quarter with a dunk that narrowed the gap to seven points, but Childe Dundão quickly answered with a two-point layup for Petro.
ASCVD then scored six consecutive points, eliminating any remaining doubt among the crowd about the possibility of a comeback.
Yanick Moreira`s free throw extended Petro`s lead to six. Gueye narrowly missed a dunk that could have brought the deficit down to four. Shortly after, Perry lost his footing, allowing Diabaté to score with a dunk.
Perry calmly made free throws, reducing the difference back to five points midway through the quarter, making the score 68-63 and keeping the game competitive.
While Petro`s offense wasn`t spectacular, they effectively managed the clock and handled the pressure from the home crowd.
Heading into the final matches on Sunday, Monastir leads the Sahara Conference, with Petro in second place. Both teams have secured three wins. In the event of a tie between two teams in the standings, the head-to-head record will determine the higher position.
Should a four-way tie occur, point differential will be the deciding factor. Monastir and Petro split their two games against each other, but Monastir holds a +4 point difference in those head-to-head matchups.
Considering Monastir`s overall point differential of +25 and Petro`s +33, it is highly improbable for either team to fail to qualify for the playoffs. Dakar currently has a point difference of -11, while Kriol Star is at -47.
Both Dakar and Kriol Star have two wins. Kriol Star needs another win to improve upon FUS Rabat`s record (two wins, -19 point difference). ASCVD, on the other hand, has a slightly better chance of qualifying even if they lose, provided they finish third.
Samba Dali Fall of Ville de Dakar was arguably the standout player of the game, finishing with 17 points, 13 rebounds, and 6 assists. However, for Coach Libasse Faye`s team to defeat Monastir in their upcoming Sunday game, they will likely need a more distributed scoring effort, similar to Petro`s approach in their win.
