It would surprise a few, if not none, if I say that Sunday’s BAL quarter final clash between Petro de Luanda and Abidjan basket club (ABC) is by far the best game of the playoffs campaign so far.
In front of a nearly pumped-up crowd inside BK Arena, the Angolan league and Nile Conference champions took home an 88-84 hard-fought victory over the Ivorians, but it was not until the last second of the game that the result was decided.
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Unlike the ABC fighters, Petro’s pace and defense in the last 11 seconds of the game showed that basketball is a game of information processing and infinite possibilities.
Petro opened up with a 13-7 run in the first five minutes, and commanded a seven-point lead at the end of the first quarter.
But this didn't deter coach Liz Mills' side from coming back to dominate the second quarter and tie the score at 41 points apiece at half time.
Petro’s talisman Carlos Morais could afford a team high 18 points, but that was not his strength for the game.
ALSO READ: BAL 2023: Petro de Luanda are kings of Nile Conference
Beyond Morais, there were plenty of heroes. Just pick a time and another one arose.
Jose Neto’s boys came to apply a defensive approach against an ABC side which looked superior in the third quarter. The Spanish tactician knew poor defense would cost them a championship during the 2022 BAL finals and could not let the mistake repeat itself.
Ater Majok was to the rescue for Petro as his block on ABC’s Mike Fofana during the final seconds not stopped Mills’ boys to reduce the deficit but to also win the Play of the Game prize.
"We were just hungry to avenge our defeat for last year’s finals, and that means working on our defense more,” he said in a post-game interview.
Neto admits that his side did not do so much to overcome Mills "whom I admire and have great respect for.”
"It was a very tough game and they played very physical, it was tough for us and it was hard to keep up at some points but now we have two more days to prepare.”
"Can’t sleep on Coach Millz”
It was nothing but a test of time for both teams, especially looking that there was no weak side in the whole game despite ABC coming as underdogs of the matchup before mighty Petro de Luanda who are destined to finally win the championship after finishing third in 2021 before losing the 2022 BAL final at the hands of US Monastir.
ABC, Millz said, came into the game with ‘a confident mindset’, after signing key players like Omar Abada, Taylor Ongwae and Ousmane Drame prior to the playoffs.
But, with only five seconds left in the game, when her side only needed a two points to tie the game and force it to overtime, Petro’s Morais stepped up and made the Ivorian men pay for the fault on him only to earn two free throws which he converted to end their semifinal dream and send them packing.
"Ideally we would have liked the ball to be in Taylor’s hands or Omar’s hands but we couldn't get it.”
Unlike last year’s defeat, "this one really hurts. Really hurts. We thought we were going to win the title, it hurts,” Millz told reporters in a cracking tone.
Mills’ side was the only all Africa team in the competition.
In the end, Petro rose to the occasion, becoming the fourth and last team to qualify for the semi-finals.
The Angolan side remains the only unbeaten team so far this BAL season and they want to win the championship as invincibles. The show must go on when they take on Senegalese powerhouse AS Douanes in Wednesday’s semifinal rendezvous.