On the day of their Basketball Africa League debut, the Cape Town Tigers lost American pair Jamel Artis & Billy Preston. The pressure on the rest saw them lose a 90-61 loss to Petro de Lunda in Cairo.
Petro placed third in the BAL in 2021 so the Tigers had to be at maximum capacity to keep the game alive. Therefore, it was a huge blow to lose Artis and Preston to COVID-19 protocols the morning of the match.
The score was not flattering for the Tigers. They actually managed to keep up with Angolan giants for about two thirds of the game and kept within single figures through the first half.
Relton Booysen, Coach of the team, told ESPN that he will take positives from the game, despite the loss. “I liked how the guys fought. They stood together. Some of the players on the bench were given more time than they had planned.
“When we have the starters back they will be [the bench players]The BAL will be familiar to them. This is actually a positive thing. It gave them the chance to play on the court.
One thing that the Tigers cannot be accused of is a lackluster effort or spirit. Pieter Prinsloo (the Tigers’ all-heart captain) stayed on court for most of game and looked tired by the end. The bench was not as deep.
Booysen admitted that he had to use his skipper (and his other stars Myck Kaboomo (10pts), as well as Evans Ganapamo (17pts) for longer than planned. They were all on the court for over 30 minutes.
When asked if Prinsloo was hurt, he replied: “My initial plan was to have people sub-performed after four minutes. But Billy wasn’t here so I had to keep him.” [Prinsloo]On the court.
“He played more than we had planned, so I believe it was fatigue. He doesn’t have any injuries.”
READ: Everything you need to know about the BAL
Petro was led to their assistance star man Carlos MoraisPetro, who scored 23 points and made 5-of-11 three-pointers, led the game. Petro had 16 threes to Cape Town’s five and that was the difference in the fourth quarter.
In Zamalek, the Tigers will face a much tougher challenge on Tuesday as they take on BAL champions and a highly-professional outfit.
Cameroon’s Forces Armees et Police won a convincing 77-60 victory against Espoir Fukash of DR Congo. Another close game ensued, but FAP’s experience at last year’s edition won.