Stade Malien Bamako on Saturday, November 19, beat Bangui Sporting Club to pick the last spot in the Western Division of the Road to BAL Elite 16 round in Abidjan and qualify for the 2023 Basketball Africa League (BAL) season. The 62-59 final score reflects how even-matched the match was. The Malian side’s versatile shooting guard Souleymane Berthe opened the score for his side from the charity line after Bangui Sporting Club center Kendall Gray was found to have impeded the movement of the sleek guard towards the basket. The 22-year-old contributed 15 points to help his side finish the first quarter which leading with 26 against Bangui SC’s 15. Bangui Sporting Club cut the gap in the second quarter but the Bamako-based side held on to a seven-point lead (40-33) at halftime. The third period was, however, different from what Stade Malien head coach, Kaba Kante, bargained for as Bangui Sporting Club guard Kenneth Gasana opened his scoring account with three straight 3-pointers to send the match tied at 50-50 ahed of the final quarter. The combination of Berthe and 20-year-old forward Aliou Fadiala Diarra with compact plays from the Bangui-based side led to a low scoring in the final ten minutes but the Malian champions eventually prevailed to qualify for their first-ever BAL tournament. Berthe ended the game on a high with 22 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists in 31.19 minutes. Aliou Fadiala Diarra had a double-double performance of 16 points and 18 rebounds, while adding 2 assists, 2 steals, one block to finish with the highest efficiency rating of 32. Coach Kaba Kante of Stade Malien will have the duo to thank for a job well done as both players put in everything they had into the game to ensure the historic victory. Bangui Sporting Club actually turned things around especially in the third quarter but Stade Malien’s determination and hunger for success earned them a well-deserved qualification. With nine spots already filled for the BAL 2023, three tickets are up for grabs this week from the Southern Division. The teams that qualified to the BAL 2023 are: Egypt- Al Ahly Senegal- As Douanes Angola- Petro de Luanda Tunisia- US Monastir Rwanda- REG Nigeria- Kwara Falcons Guinea- SLAC Coted I'voire- ABC Mali- Stade Malien.
