Al Ahly outclass JCA Kings in a commanding victory to book their ticket to Kigali

Al Ahly got off to a hot start with a 7-0 start with Moursi Khalaf scoring five of those seven points. Chris Crawford broke this Al Ahly run with a beautiful reverse layup to open the scoring for JCA Kings. Zack Lofton drained a three-pointer to prompth a 9-0 run for Al Ahly.

JCA upped their defensive efforts and forced a dry spell for Al Ahly for two minutes where the lid was closed on their scoring. However, playing this kind of defense leaves one exposed and they were made to pay for it as Al Ahly made several trips to the free throw line. Jonathan Cisse and John Jordan exchanged threes and set the court ablaze with this exchange. Zack Lofton joined the party and drained one of his own three-pointers. He erupted for 12 points in the first quarter and boosted Al Ahy to a 37-16 lead at the end of the first quarter.

The second quarter got off to a good start for JCA as Babatunde William started with two free throws. on the other end, JCA was also caught a step behind as Malek Abdelgowad scored two free throws for Al Ahly. Babatunde William took another trip to the free throw line where he was perfect again. Despite their push to cut down on the deficit, JCA took the foot off the pedal defensively and allowed Al Ahly a second chance opportunity and Moursi Khalaf made sure with the jump shot.

JCA went on a 6-0 run and they seemed reinvigorated to begin their comeback. Ulrich Kra executed the eurostep to perfection for JCA but could not complete the action. Moursi Khalaf had all the answers when he broke this JCA run with a three-pointer. Babatunde William grabbed an offensive rebound and tipped in the layup to bring it down to a 12-point game. Ibrahim Zahran dropped a three-pointer but, perhaps the best highlight closing this quarter was Osayi Osifa's block to end the quarter. Al Ahly wnt into the break up 48-33.

Zack Lofton opened the quarter with a three-pointer for Al Ahly as he continued to put on an offensive clinic. John Jordan weaved his way through the JCA defense and scored a layup before Zack Lofton scored another three to take the lead up to 21 points, the biggest of the game at this point. Jonathan Cisse then scored a pull up jump shot following a Babatunde William offensive rebound. Despite this effort, Zack Lofton could not be stopped as he scored yet another three-pointer. Jonathan Cisse continued to carry the offensive load for JCA with his solo six-point run.

Zack Lofton continued with his hot streak as he added a mid-range jump shot. Al Ahly continued to string in shot after shot as they went up by 22 points when Omar Oraby scored inside the paint. After another two-minute dry spell for both teams, Robinson Opong broke the deadlock with a three-pointer for JCA Kings. Both teams traded baskets and closed off the half with a 21-point diffence at 68-47 with Al Ahly ahead. Zack Lofton erupted yet again with 11 points in the quarter.

JCA knew that they had one last push if they were to keep their playoff dreams alive. Babatunde William opened the fourth quarter with a two-point jump shot. Al Ahly followed this up with an Omar Oraby alleyoop, set up by Amr Adbelhalim. Babatunde William scored another mid-range jump shot that sparked a defensive stop and a Chris Crawford three-pointer. Al Ahly would not take this lying down as Amr Abdelhalim scored a floater. Mike Yayo added his contribution with a jump shot for JCA.

Zack Lofton returned to the scene with another three-pointer for Al Ahly. He went on to lead all scorers with 32 points and eight three-pointers in the game. Jonathan Cisse scored a layup and drew a foul, completing the three-point play. Chris Crawford dropped another three-pointer to cut the deficit to 18, but Zack Lofton was not done as he drained another three-pointer to push the dagger further in the hearts of the JCA faithfuls. Al Ahly closed off the game with a convincing 85-65 win. Al Ahly have now secured their spot in the playoffs, leaving only one spot left and two teams to fight for it.

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[Photography and Imagery Courtesy of The BAL]