Jackson Jr. delivers late dagger as Tigers outlast Petro in thriller

The margins were razor-thin, the tension unmistakable, and when the decisive moment arrived, few inside the SunBet Arena would have predicted the name that ultimately defined it.

Antino Jackson Jr., largely subdued for most of the night, produced the shot that mattered most, lifting the Rwanda-based RSSB Tigers to an 82-78 victory over Angola’s Petro de Luanda on Game Day 3 of the 2026 Basketball Africa League Kalahari Conference.

In a contest that swung repeatedly and refused to settle, the Tigers leaned on their primary options for much of the evening. Teafale Lenard Jr. set the offensive tone with 26 points, while Mangok Mathiang imposed himself inside with a double-double of 18 points and 12 rebounds. Yet, when the game demanded clarity under pressure, it was Jackson Jr. who stepped forward.

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His contribution had been minimal up to that stage. He had missed all five of his attempts and spent extended stretches watching from the bench in the second half. Still, when reinserted in the closing seconds, he showed no hesitation.

“I work hard on my game,” Jackson Jr. said postgame, reflecting on the sequence. “I was on the bench for much of the second half, but I just wanted to stay professional. When I got back in the game, I knew I had to deliver. I just made the play… I took the shot. I shoot these shots every day.”

The Tigers had appeared to create separation midway through the fourth quarter, stretching their advantage to 11 points. But Petro, a perennial BAL contender, methodically worked their way back into the contest, capitalizing on second-unit energy and defensive stops.

With 19 seconds remaining, Childe Dundao calmly knocked down two free throws to level the score at 78-78, silencing what had been a pro-Tigers rhythm in the arena. The momentum had shifted, and overtime seemed inevitable.

Instead, the Tigers executed with precision. Jackson Jr., finding space on the perimeter, rose and connected from beyond the arc with five seconds left, a shot that decisively tilted the balance. A subsequent free throw extended the margin and sealed the outcome.

“We knew they had played back-to-back games and had played hard last night. We knew we needed to come in and set a fast pace. This win was really important for us,” Jackson Jr. added, pointing to the tactical approach that underpinned the performance.

The victory did not come without adversity. Petro dictated long stretches of the first half, at one stage building a double-digit cushion. The Tigers, however, responded before the break, trimming the deficit to 36-34 and setting the stage for a tightly contested second half.

For a team still in its infancy, the composure displayed in key moments stood out. As Jackson Jr. explained, this group is still building its identity.

“People don’t realise that this group only formed ten days ago from two separate teams. We showed resilience tonight and got the job done,” he said.

The broader objective remains clear: secure a top-four finish in the Kalahari Conference and return to Kigali for the BAL Playoffs in May.

“We just need to finish it,” Jackson Jr. continued. “We beat two tough teams. We're just trying to keep winning. Kigali is behind us.”

Through two games, the Tigers have not only remained unbeaten but also demonstrated depth and mental toughness in high-pressure situations.

“There are a lot of hungry dogs on this team, and we're a strong squad. You can’t count us out,” he said. “We don’t have a ceiling. There's no pressure — one more game and we'll secure our place back in Kigali.”

On the opposite side, Petro de Luanda will reflect on a missed opportunity. Their bench provided a significant spark, with Dundao leading the way with 19 points, while Javilon Blake and Peter Jok added 13 and 11 points respectively.

“It was a 50–50 game,” Dundao acknowledged afterwards, a fair assessment given the back-and-forth nature of the encounter.

However, he also pointed to the decisive factor in the closing stretch.

“They were mentally stronger than us,” he admitted. “Unlike us, they performed well in the last few moments of the game. That was the difference.”

Dundao dismissed any suggestion that shooting struggles from long range were to blame, instead highlighting lapses in focus.

“We knew it was going to be a tough game. I don’t think we lost the game because of our missed three-pointers. We lacked concentration towards the end, and this cost us the game. We'll bounce back stronger.”

With the result, the RSSB Tigers improve to 2-0, reinforcing their early credentials as contenders in the conference. Petro, meanwhile, drop to 1-1, left to regroup after a contest that slipped away in the final seconds.

[Photography : Courtesy of The BAL]