Nigeria’s Rivers Hoopers will face Cape Town Tigers of South Africa in the third-place game of the 2024 Basketball Africa League (BAL) on Friday(today) in Kigali, Rwanda.
The matchup was confirmed after Cape Town Tigers fell 96-86 to Angola’s Petro de Luanda in Wednesday’s semi-final.
Rivers Hoopers’ journey to the third-place game began with a historic run that saw them become the first Nigerian team to reach the BAL semifinals. They defeated Tunisian giants US Monastir in the quarter-finals before falling to Libya’s Al Ahly Benghazi in a thrilling 89-83 semi-final encounter.
Despite the disappointment of the semi-final loss, Rivers Hoopers head coach, Ogoh Odaudu, is focused on finishing the competition on a high note.
“Nobody gave us a chance, but we will raise our heads high,” Odaudu said. “Nobody thought we would be here today, and here we are. It’s quite unfortunate the fairytale run has ended. We will try and make sure we come back and take the bronze medal game.”
Fans have taunted the game to be a clash of musical genres, with Afrobeats (Rivers Hoopers) facing Amapiano (Cape Town Tigers).
In Africa’s headline football competition, Nigeria faced South Africa in the African Cup of Nations semifinals in February. The Super Eagles of Nigeria edged past South Africa’s Bafana Bafana in a keenly contested game that was decided from the spot after regulation time.
The Nigerian team will be aiming to end their BAL campaign on a positive note and secure a podium finish.
The game will tip off at 7pm Nigerian time.
