May 4, 2023

Resilient Beira outlast Cape Town to relaunch Playoffs aspirations

A resilient Ferroviario da Beira relaunched their Playoffs aspirations Wednesday after beating Capet Town Tigers.

The Mozambican champions dropped their first two games against title contenders Petro de Luanda and Al Ahly, but have since won their last two games.

After beating SLAC on Sunday night, Beira rallied from an 11-point deficit to beat Cape Town Tigers 82-76 on Wednesday and improve their Nile Conference to 2-2.

“It’s a better feeling to be 2-2 than to 0-4. But I am not worried about the standings,” Beira coach Luiz Hernandez said.

CAIRO, EGYPT - MAY 3: Bourama Sidibe #24 of the CFV - Beira is introduced before the game against the Cape Town Tigers on May 3, 2023 at the Dr. Hassan Moustafa Sports Hall in Cairo, Egypt. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2023 NBAE (Photo by Julien Bacot/NBAE via Getty Images)

Beira currently rank third in the Nile Conference with one game left.

“We started this conference against the best two teams,” Hernandez recalled. “It was good for me because we lost, but those games made us stay in the competition for the next games.”

Najael Young finished with a game-high of 26 points and added 13 rebounds for his first double-double in the BAL.

Beira guard Ismael Nurmamade was 7 for 13 from the floor, including a 2 for 3 shooting from beyond the arc to contribute 20 points.

Bourama Sidibe, who scored 19 points and finished with a game-best of 15 rebounds to help Beira stay alive in the Playoff contention, said: “We just came here thinking about playing the right way. We wanted to make sure every ball possession was important for us.”

Cape Town Tigers enjoyed a 67-56 lead in third quarter (their largest in the game), but they struggled to maintain their lead in the decisive fourth quarter.

“The difference was just those last five or six minutes,” Beira guard Will Perry insisted.

"We locked in the defensively, that’s how we came out with a win.”

Meanwhile, four Cape Town Tigers players scored in double digits.

CAIRO, EGYPT - MAY 3: Dwayne Wade and Gabrielle Union-Wade attend the game between the CFV - Beira and the Cape Town Tigers on May 3, 2023 at the Dr. Hassan Moustafa Sports Hall in Cairo, Egypt. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2023 NBAE (Photo by Julien Bacot/NBAE via Getty Images)

Playing in front of dad NBA Hall of Fame Dwane Wade, Zaire Wade had his best display as a Cape Town Tigers players, finishing with 17 points so far despite hurting his left ankle early in the game.

Evans Ganapamo cntributed 17 points, Michael Gbinije added 20, and Pieter Prinsloo came up with 11 points.

CAIRO, EGYPT - MAY 3: Evans Ganapamo #1 and Zaire Wade #00 of the Cape Town Tigers talk during the game against the CFV - Beira on May 3, 2023 at the Dr. Hassan Moustafa Sports Hall in Cairo, Egypt. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2023 NBAE (Photo by Julien Bacot/NBAE via Getty Images)

But things didn’t work out for Cape Town who dropped to 1-3 with a game left in the Conference.

Josh Hall sat out with an undisclosed injury and won’t return for Cape Town's last game on Friday against City Oilers.

“Zaire Wade is a warrior; resilient; tough; he loves his game; that’s what you saw tonight; that’s in his DNA,” Cape Town Tigers coach Rasheed Hazzard said.

“There should be no surprise to anybody that he came back [after heading to the locker for medical assistance] and continued to believe in himself.”

Talking about the absence of Hall, Hazzard said: “As far as Josh Hall, he will probably be out for the next game. He does have an injury. Unfortunately that will keep him out… Everybody tried to win this game for him. We’ll finish it for him, so he can comeback in Kigali.”

Beira returns for their last game of the Conference on Friday to take on City Oilers while, Cape Town take on City Oilers on Saturday.