Kriol Star edged Fireball in an intense overtime battle, fuelled by Zidania Ribeiro’s late scoring surge and perfect free throws. Despite Fanta Sidibe’s standout play, Fireball’s fouls proved costly as the hosts secured a dramatic win to keep their qualification hopes alive.
Last Updated on
November 16, 2025
Kriol Star entered this encounter with only eight players, following their previous game, and were looking to bounce back in front of their home fans. Meanwhile, Fireball sought to make a lasting impression.
It was Kriol Star's Zidania Ribeiro who opened the proceedings with a layup after a jump ball. This basket indicated towards an action-packed game, despite the next minutes proving the opposite.
It took another three minutes for the deadlock to be broken. This time by Fanta Sidibe for Fireball with a free throw. This was the first point for Fireball. There was very little to separate these two, defensively minded sides. It was the Kriol substitute, Kelly Pires, whose first contribution was a three-ball that got the fans on their feet as she proved a super sub.
There was a momentum shift, and this time, Kankou Traoré lined up a perfect three to give Fireball its first field goal. They followed this up with three more points to take a 7-5 lead at the end of the first quarter.
The second period started the same way as the first, with an opening basket from Zidania Ribeiro; however, this time, it was a three-pointer from a perfectly executed play. Kelly Pires took the baton from her teammate when she sank a three to give Kriol Star a four-point lead. Fanta Sidibe then went on a 5-0 run to restore her team's lead. After a dry spell and many squandered opportunities, Any Vaz broke the deadlock with a fastbreak layup to have another lead change.
Kelly Pires was in her groove as she hit another three-pointer, showing that she is a real shooter. This lead was short-lived as Yaye Diagne and Fanta Sidibe each scored a layup to tie the game at 16 points apiece. With nothing to separate these two sides, it will come down to coaching and team chemistry to create any lead.
The second half got off to a physical start, with both teams putting on a defensive masterclass. They both limited the other to not scoring for the first three minutes of the quarter. Eventually, the deadlock was broken by Fanta Sidibe, who had still not gone to the bench.
The score was tied at 19 and again at 21. Kankou Traoré returned, and as the marksman that she is, she drained another three-pointer. After a slow quarter, it was Fireball who enjoyed the most significant lead of the game at this point, with the score at 29-23.
With everything to play for, Kankou Traoré got the Guinean side to extend their lead, and Fanta Sidibe followed up with two layups to restore a nine-point lead. This is when Zidania Ribeiro reappeared with seven straight points to give her team a one-point lead with under a minute to go.
It was a thrilling end. Kankou Traoré was allowed to win for her team when she stepped up to shoot two free throws with six seconds to go and only one point to separate the two teams. She breathed a sigh of relief when she made the first to tie the game, but could not hold her nerves and missed the second free throw that sent the game into overtime.
The nerves clearly subsided over time as both teams played with less caution to find that moment of brilliance for their team. Fatoumata Sylla scored a jump shot, and Zidania Ribeiro matched that just as quickly, to tie the game.
Yaye Diagne then gave her team a one-point lead, but the hosts kept knocking. Fireball's fouls in the fourth quarter came back to haunt them as they sent Zidania Ribeiro to the line for four attempts, and she was perfect on the line and gave Kriol Star a three-point lead that they would cling to and celebrate the win.
Zidania Ribeiro and Fanta Sidibe led all scorers with 18 points each, but it was Kriol Star's execution down the stretch that helped them register their first win. Qualification is still within reach for both teams, and they will undoubtedly be looking to improve on this performance.
[Photography Courtesy of FIBA/WBLA]
