Tigers relaunch BAL Playoff hopes with hard-fought win over Petro de Luanda

Cape Town Tigers couldn’t have asked for a better atmosphere at SunBet Arena in Pretoria on Saturday to relaunch their Basketball Africa League (BAL) Playoff aspirations.

Playing in front of a sold-out arena, the Tigers fought for their BAL Season 4 revival from the opening jump-ball to the final whistle to upset Petro de Luanda 84-78.

The Tigers entered the must-win encounter with a 0-2 mark, and beating Petro de Luanda - a team they lost to (100-88) early in the season – seemed impossible.

But against all odds, and with the support of their tireless fans, the Kalahari Conference hosts recorded their first BAL win since May 2023.

The Tigers’ aggression not only caught Petro de Luanda off guard, but it also saw the Kalahari Conference hosts set a record for most offensive rebounds (25) in a single game.

The South African champions crashed the boards finishing with 50 rebounds against Petro de Luanda’s 45.

Billy Preston, who finished with 5 points in the 84-58 loss against FUS Rabat, rose to the occasion, leading the Tigers with a team-high of 20 points and 11 rebounds.

Except for Yakhya Diop, who didn’t play a single second, all Cape Town Tigers players contributed one way or another.

Samkelo Cele finished with 17 points, Cartier Diarra added 14 and Dylan Whitbread, who sank a pair of three-pointers to help the Tigers to their first-ever win against Petro de Luanda, had 12 points off the bench.

Both Nkosinathi Sibanyoni - who came up with 8 points - and Preston dominated Petro’s painted area with 10 offensive rebounds.

Cape Town Tigers scored 6 unanswered points to start the game, and went to the locker room with a 47-41 halftime lead.

Shooting guard Edmir Lucas buried two straight three-pointers that gave Petro de Luanda a short-lived 72-67 lead in the third quarter, but it was Cape Town Tigers’ 15-0 run midway through the fourth that prevented Petro de Luanda from improving to 3-1.

Yanick Moreira led Petro with a double-double of 20 pints and 10 rebounds, while Childe Dundao and Anthony Nelson contributed 10 points..

“This win means so much to us… We had our backs against the wall. We gave everything we had. This win was more than a win, it feels special,” said Tigers guard Ngor Manyang who contributed 8 points.

“We stuck together. That was the most important part of the win,” the South Sudanese shooting guard added.

“We played for South Africa, we played for pride. We came out with a lot heart and a lot of fight and the result speaks for itself. It’s an amazing feeling,” said Whitbread.

In appreciation to their fans, Whitbread added: “We showed what South Africa is all about. Hopefully the BAL keeps coming back here.”

With loss, Petro de Luanda closed their Kalahari Conference campaign with a 2-2 record.

Cape Town Tigers, meanwhile, improved to 1-2 and return to action on Sunday taking on FUS Rabat.