“Al Ahly SC was the better team and deserved this win” - Al Ahly Ly coach Jermic

Four games into the 2024 Nile Conference and Al Ahly SC stand tall as the only undefeated team.

After beating their Libyan namesake 98-86 on Friday, Al Ahy SC reminded everyone what they are made of in a remarkable fashion as they improved to 2-0.

The BAL reigning champions trailed by one at the end of the opening quarter, but went to halftime with a 42-39 advantage.

It was an evenly-matched game until Jo-Lual Acuil picked up his fourth foul and Jermic took him out of the game to protect him from a potential early disqualification.

“Al Ahly [SC] was the better team and they deserved this win,” Al Ahly Ly head coach Ivan Jermic admitted.

Besides Al Ahly SC’s productive bench, Mark Lyons was one of the reasons the Libyan champions dropped to 1-1.

Lyons scored 12 of his team-high 20 points from behind the arc. Patrick Gardener added 16 off the bench and Tony Mitchell came up with 15 points.

Pierre Jackson, who led Al Ahly Aly with a game-high of 26 points, later admitted that “They went on a big run in the third quarter and we couldn’t come back from that.”

For the second game in a row, the Egyptian champions scored almost a third of their points from behind arc. They finished 12-32 from the 3-point line.

“We are built champions,” an elated Lyons observed. “We stay together when things get tough but we always come ready to play,” Lyons pointed when asked about his team’s resilient attitude.

Al Ahly SC’s bench contributed 38 against Al Ahly Ly’s 8.

Reflecting on the challenges they faced, Lyons said: “They are a very talented and athletic team. The main thing for us was rebounds. Because they are so athletic we made sure we boxed out.”

“We have a deep team. We have five or six national teams guys on the bench who can play together. They make our job -the starters – easy. When they come in they lift us up.”

The win saw Al Ahly SC improve their home record to 6-1. In the process, head coach Agusti Bosch is now 17-1 dating back to the inaugural season in 2021.

Lyons continued: “We have just beat a very good team. We came focused and ready to play and coach did a great job of preparing us.”

Jermic praised the quality of the game, comparing it “to a EuroCup game.”

The Serbia play-caller, who coached the Libyan national team two decades ago and took Al Ahly Ly over three weeks ago, acknowledged that their counterpart’s cohesion was a big factor.

“This is a team that has been playing under this coach for three years and have players who have been together for a long time.”

The Nile Conference resumes on Monday after a rest day on Sunday with Al Ahly SC facing Bangui Sporting Club while Al Ahly Ly take on City Oilers.