BAL Elite 16: ABC suffer first defeat

Shock defeat for ABC in Group A of the West Zone at the BAL Elite 16 in Abidjan! After their win on 14 November over Elan Coton BBC of Benin (96 -59) at the Palais des Sports de Treichville, the Ivorians came unstuck on 15 November 2022, losing to Central African side Bangui Sporting Club. In the first quarter they had led 16 points to 12. They stayed on top in the 2nd quarter with an 8-point lead (30-38), double the margin after the first 10 minutes. Coming out of the dressing room, the Ivorians fell apart completely. That was the moment the Central Africans chose to step up a gear. They became sharper and tougher in defence. By the end of the 3rd quarter, the gap had vanished. ABC's Fighters were now only one point ahead, 47-48. The Ivorians never got back in front. The game finished 72-67 in favour of the men from Bangui. It is the Rouge-Blanc's first defeat in two games. "There are no more calculations to make. Tomorrow is our final against AS Salé. We have to raise our game," warned Franck Silva, ABC head coach, straight after the game. He made a point of setting out what needs to be done to qualify for the next round of the BAL Elite 16 in Abidjan. "From the 3rd quarter the opposition imposed a more aggressive defence on us. Our players did not manage that change well. We dropped back and things got harder. Experience made the difference. But our goal is qualification. We will learn the lessons from this defeat quickly. We will keep fighting so that ABC are among the 3 qualifiers for the BAL 2023 on the evening of 19 November," he said. ABC clearly need to put things right on the evening of Wednesday 16 November against AS Salé (Morocco) to reach the semi-finals.

Sanh Séverin