Club Africain dig deep to land first Playoff ticket from the Sahara Conference

Tunisia champions Club Africain secured the first playoff ticket from the 2026 Sahara Conference on Tuesday, 28 April night, beating Cote d'Ivoire's JCA Kings 79–74 in overtime to remain without blemishes.

This was Club Africain's third consecutive victory in the conference, in as many matches, subjecting Kings to their third loss, and in a heartbreaking manner as the West Africans had given the match-up their all, leading by as many as 15 in the opening half only to crumble in a 22-10 third quarter, allowing the Tunisian champions a chance to take the match in overtime (OT).

Club Africain had a good start, leading 9-2 early but Jonathan Patrick Cisse's floating jump gave Kings the lead at 11-10, the Stephane Konate-coached side stretching that advantage to 19-10 at the conclusion of the opening period.

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No matter how hard the Tunisian giants tried to retake the lead, the Kings remained in absolute control of the game. They contested every Club Africain possession and shot, reaching their largest lead of 15 points (34–19) with just over three minutes to play.

Konate's charges, who had gone on a 17-0 point run between the opening and second stanzas, won the rebounding battle 30-18 at half-time, leading 37–24, with Cisse making a massive 16-points contribution as the Ivorians looked to cause one of the Conferences biggest upsets.

Sensing danger, however, Club Africain came out with a more aggressive defence in the third quarter, and a 10-0 run at the start of the period was just what they needed to slow down the Kings.

Jamelle Hagins and Aminu Mohammed led the comeback onslaught as the third quarter proved costly for Kings, who saw their double-digit lead evaporate to just one point (47-46) by the end. Mohamed Hadidane and Jesse Jones Jr made crucial contributions from range down the stretch to keep the North Africans firmly in the game.

"Congrats to my team and to the JCA Kings for a hard-fought game,” Club Africain power forward Jamelle Hagins told BAL.com. “It wasn’t easy; we really had to work for it. My team showed a lot of character, even when the shots weren't falling. Everything seemed to be going wrong tonight, but we stuck with it and were able to win."

When Omar Abada opened action in the fourth quarter with an exquisite shot that hit the top of the board before falling in, giving Club Africain their first lead (48-47) since the first period, and a game-changing moment, their fans went wild.

The momentum has shifted in favour of the Tunisian side but Kings would not go down without a fight. Club Africain looked well on their way to sealing victory in the final minute but a costly foul on Chris Crawford saw the West African draw level at 66 to take the match into OT where a 13-8 show decided the game.

Mohamed lead his team with 21 points, three more than Jones Jr. Meanwhile, Cissé became the first player in the 2026 Sahara Conference to score 30 points, but this wasn't enough to prevent the Kings from losing.

“We were well prepared today, and the team is improving all the time,” insisted JCA Kings shooting guard Robinson Opong. “In each game, we are making more consecutive stops, which is why we were able to stay in the game and give ourselves a chance to win. Unfortunately, against a good team like Club Africain, who have been playing together all year and have good veteran players, little mistakes hurt.”

Despite the Kings’ third loss in as many games, the Ugandan international, Opong remained upbeat, saying:

“All in all, I am happy with my team. We are improving all the time. If we keep playing like this, we’ll stand a chance of winning a couple of games. What you saw today was a group of players who believe they can compete at the highest level. We’ll keep working hard and come back stronger.”

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(Photography Courtesy of BAL)