It was a showdown between Al Ahly and Dar City as the former was on their quest for their first win while the latter was trying to keep their perfect start alive. In the end, Al Ahly defeated Dar City 118-97 to claim their first win in the BAL this season and keep their playoff hopes alive.
Last Updated on
April 4, 2026
Many fans were stunned to see JJ Boissy start on the bench as Mo Sadi got the nod to start. This brought a lot of intensity to the Libyan side as they got off to a firing 6-0 start despite Hasheem Thabeet being an imposing figure in the paint. It was not until later that David Michineau opened the scoring for Dar City with a lay up. This Al Ahly side was different to the one we have seen. They were playing with a different level of chemistry and were playing smothering defense from baseline to baseline.
Coach Soliman kept his rotation tight, going only seven deep. The scoring load was well distributed. Al Ahly were able to draw two fouls against Nisre Zouzoua while keeping him scoreless after almost a full quarter of play. There have been rumors of the disconnect between coach Soliman and his players, especially Boissy. However, the rumors were discounted when coach Soliman followed the recommendation of Boissy to challenge a call that would not have changed much in the game. Nevertheless, the call was overturned in their favor and they closed off the quarter 25-14 ahead of Dar City.
Al Ahly did not drop their defensive intensity and continued with one tough possession after another. They put a lot of pressure on Dar City who have already proven to not trust their bench with tight rotations. The biggest blow was Zouzoua and Utomi each picking up their third foul and being forced to go to the bench. This break in momentum opened the door for Al Ahly to pull ahead even further.
Donovan Williams of Al Ahly could not be stopped. He had multiple and-one plays. After a good first quarter where he scored six points, he added 11 to his tally. Showing that he is not just a perimeter threat but also a decisive driver to the rack and a high flyer. However, Deng Ring kept the fire burning for Dar City with four perfect attempts from deep. However, it was difficult with Zouzoua having a difficult offensive night and Utomi spending much time on the bench. Al Ahly used this to prompt another run that would see them close the quarter with the score at 51-34.
Dar City opened the third quarter with more intensity and seemed resolute when they scored two three-pointers. Thabeet also began to assert himself in the paint but an unfortunate head collision between him and Majok Deng so the latter go down in need of some medican attention. This is when the former NBA player, Damion Baugh, was able to find himself with one spectcular play after another. He made difficult shots late in the shot clock, threw perfect alley-oops and dissected the Tanzanian defense.
Hasheem Thabeet, in his desperate attempt to help his team, shot an airball that led to another Al Ahly fastbreak. Al Ahly also stretched the floor - they would either draw Thabeet out of the paint to remove the aerial defensive threat or would shoot wide open perimeter shots when he would stay in the paint. Boissy eventually found his range with two three pointers. Meanwhile, Baugh reached a double-double with 13 points and 13 assists.
However, Michael Foster was the spark that Dar City needed as he erupted with 12 points in the third quarter. He could not be stopped in the paint as around the primeter. He was able to spark an impressive run where Deng Ring lined up a perfect three-ball that led to a defensive stop then an open lay up by Michineau. Despite this run, Al Ahly was still comfortably in the driver's seat, closing the quarter at 87-62.
Foster picked up right where he left off with a three-pointer to open the quarter. However, Baugh continued to set up his teammates with decisive passes. He connected with Lual Acuil on a perfect alley-oop play. Boissy continued to catch fire behind the perimeter until he did something out of character - he said some unsavory words to Deng Ring after a block and earned himself a technical. Majok Deng drained a three-pointer to bring more joy to the bench. Perhaps the highlight of the game was the razzle-dazzle by Baugh and then a put-bank dunk by Majok Deng. Micael Foster scored 18 points in the fourth quarter. Al Ahly had no answer for him as he almost got his team to 100 points.
The final score was 118-97 in favor of Al Ahly. However, there were two records broken. Michael Foster set the efficiency record at 47 which was previously 43 by Aliou Diarra. The other record broken was the most assist in a game - Damion Baugh broke the record that was previously shared by Adonis Filer and Hamid Tarif Ali at 16 assists per game to 18 assists per game.
Coach Soliman praised the turnaround on his team's defensive effort. He said it was the catalyst to his team's win today. He also said that it was a matter of time for his team to establish that chemistry and it was proven tonight. As for coach Pabi Gueye, he was not all too beaten. He emphasized the importance of rataining only the positives while working on improving the negatives. Both teams still have a realistic chance of qualifying with two games left in the conference.
[Photography/Imagery Courtesy of The BAL]
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