Perry makes it rain as Rivers Hoopers improve to 2-0

On Sunday, May 5 2024, Nigeria’s Rivers Hoopers recorded (14) three-points – this is the second most 3-pointers made in season 4 of the BAL thus far just behind 2023 BAL champions Al Ahly SC.

The Nigerian side improve their campaign to 2-0 after beating APR 86-82.

The Nigerian champions shot 14-for-38 from behind the arc. Just a pointer shy behind the BAL reigning champions Al Ahly SC who made more (15) threes this season.

Will Perry set the tone, making 7 of his 13 three-point attempts to finish with a team-high of 31 points; Kelvin Amayo finished 3-for-9 from long range to sign out with 13 points, and John Wilkins added another 3 threes to finish with 9 points to help Rivers Hoopers remain as the only undefeated team in the conference so far.

Perry spent the entire game on the floor, and whenever he found himself open, he triggered his catch-and-shoot ability.

“We allowed him to shoot far too many open shots, and this cost us because he is a smart player,” APR captain William Robeyns acknowledged.

It soon became evident that three-point shooting would be a factor in the game that no team led by more than 6 points.

At the end of the opening quarter, APR, who eventually finished 6-for-31 from behind the arc, were 0-7 from long range.

Robeyns says that the Hoopers won the game because they wanted it more.

Reflecting on the Rwandan champions shortcomings, Robeyns admitted that they will need to regroup and make some adjustments, “We didn’t play well defensively. We are going to watch film, focus on defense and try to move forward.”

“We scored 82 points today. Offensively we are good, we just need to put more emphasis on our defense, ” he added.

Obadiah Noel came up with yet another stellar performance, finishing with a game-high of 32 points, but APR paid the price for their careless perimeter defense.

Adonis Filer had a performance that one would assume one would like to forget – he shot 2-for-15 to finish with 6 points – APR coach Mazen Trakh sought answers from his bench, which outscored Rivers Hoopers’ 14-6, but shooting 22-for-32 from the charity stripe only made things worse for them.

It was another good day for Rivers Hoopers, who had upset the hosts AS Douanes 24 hours earlier.

Devine Eke, who came up with another solid performance took his hat off to Perry, “That’s what he does. Will is [the] best in this league; he is well known.”

Eke says he prefers to keep his feet on the ground as there’s a long road to go until the last day of the conference on Sunday, May 12.

“The job is not done yet. We are going to celebrate this one, recover and be back at it again,” he pointed out.