Al Ahly SC limit Murphy to just one point, clinch playoff spot

Al Ahly SC on Friday recorded their second double-digit win in a week over Al Ahly Ly to become the first Nile Conference team to qualify to the playoffs.

With the 87-76 win, Agusti Bosch's team improved their mark to 4-1.

“We played the way we were supposed to play our last game [a shocking loss to City Oilers]; we picked it up today and got the job the done,” said Tony Mitchell Jr who finished with 16 points.

The reigning BAL champions never looked like the team that struggled to cope with City Oilers’ fast-paced game two nights earlier. They reset their winning bottoms to sink their opponents who dropped to 2-3.

Although the Egyptian champions led for most of the encounter, Al Ahly Ly remained at striking distance.

However, a technical foul called to Al Ahly Ly’s bench with 3:58 minutes on the clock eased the Nile Conference hosts to go on a decisive 10-0 run.

“We wanted to come out, play together, play defense and rebounding. We knew this would win us the game,” said Mark Lyons who scored 9 of his 17 points from behind the arc.

Al Ahly SC came up with a homework that paid off by neutralizing and limiting Kevin Murphy to just one point (0-4 shooting from the floor) in 36 minutes.

And to make matters worse for the Libyan champions, Pierre Jackson limped off the court with an injury for the second time in the 2024 Nile Conference.

“We played well for about 35 minutes. After that they punished us,” Jeremic admitted.

“My players fought hard, they tried everything but tonight Al Ahly SC was the better team,” the Serbia play-caller added.

Jo-Lual Acuil who led Al Ahly Ly with 26 points and 15 rebounds remained upbeat about their chances to qualify to the playoffs in May in Kigali.

“The most important thing for us is winning the next game and that’s what we are going to focus on,” the 6-foot-11 center said.

Al Ahly SC will take on a highly-motivated Bangui Sporting Club on Saturday while Al Ahly Ly will try to improve to 3-3 by beating City Oilers.