Mooring Leads MBB Past APR in Kigali Thriller to Keep BAL Playoff Hopes Alive

Mooring Leads MBB Past APR in Kigali Thriller to Keep BAL Playoff Hopes Alive

For the second game in a row, APR had to play without the Malian sensation Aliou Diarra. However, they were dealt another blow as they would go without Dane Miller Jr. Both players were sidelined due to injury. The game got off to a tense start as both teams seemed reluctant to show their hand. Habimana missed an open layup on a fastbreak—just another example of the nerves.

The seven-footer from South Africa, David Craig, opened the scoring for MBB with a dunk. After breaking the deadlock, both teams exchanged blows. APR captain William Robeyns opened his account with a heavily contested three and repeated that following a block on Thielemans later in the quarter. Mpoyo, consistent from beyond the arc, also sank a corner 3 to open his account. Lenard Jr continued with his2-way plays while Mooring put on an offensive masterclass. Lenard Jr’s third block closed the quarter with APR up 1, 16-15.

Ndoye opened his account with an And-1 play to extend APR’s lead. APR started the quarter with more vigor than MBB and it showed when Habimana stripped Prinsloo, leading to a Prinsloo unsportsmanlike foul. Mooring matched the energy when he got fouled as he drained a three from downtown. He converted the free throw and gave MBB a 3-point lead. Obadiah Noel returned the favor when he got fouled and completed the 4-point play for a lead change in APR’s favor.

MBB’s incessant drives got APR in foul trouble with 6 minutes left. However, APR remained resolute and fed off the crowd’s energy as local sensation Nshobozwa drained a 3 to give APR the biggest lead of the game – five points. MBB struggled to find their momentum, but their national hero, Pieter Prinsloo, stopped the bleeding after converting from a post-up to ignite his side. Craig then rocked the rim with a two-handed dunk to give MBB a 1-point lead. Then, the two teams started trading baskets. First, Habimana had a 3, and then Mooring had a 3 to provide MBB with a 2-point lead. Habimana closed off the half after converting two free throws to give APR a 39-38 lead at the half.

The start of the third quarter was just a teaser for an electric second half. Opong opened the half with a three from a Prinsloo dribble hand-off. There was little to separate the two teams as Habimana hit a 3 to tie the game at 48 points. Prinsloo and Lenard Jr went on a 2-man, 9-0 run for MBB to give them the biggest lead as they went up 9. Chasson Randle had other plans as the former NBA player began heating up with big three before Robeyns stole the ball and scored on a fastbreak layup.

Again, Prinsloo was dialed in to stop the bleeding with dominant work in the paint. Axel Mpoyo hit another 3 in the corner to cut it back to 3 points. MBB closed the quarter with a Mooring 3 and another Selepe 3 to go up 9 points, 67-58. The fourth quarter was tactical, and the more clinical team would enjoy the spoils. That is when Mooring played with surgical precision on offense, picking his matchups and getting to his spots despite the defense thrown at him.

He had and-1 plays, one after the other. This led APR into foul trouble with 5:29 left and MBB up 9. That is when Prinsloo connected from deep to take MBB up 12. As if things could not get worse for APR, Ndoye picked up his fourth foul at 4:36 left in the game.

However, Coach May left Ndoye on, and it paid dividends almost immediately when he grabbed an offensive rebound and stuffed it into the rim. Both teams began trading baskets. There was a contrast in how the two teams played as MBB remained calm and took their time offensively, while APR played with more urgency. The game came down to the wire, but MBB rounded off the game with a 94-88 win to set a foot in the door to Pretoria.

Obadiah Noel had a valiant effort with 23 points, while Ndoye added 19 points and 10 rebounds without Miller Jr and Diarra. However, it was all Mooring on offense as he had yet another masterclass to continue his impressive scoring run, scoring 29 points, grabbing eight rebounds, and dishing out five assists. There were meaningful contributions from Lenard Jr (19 points, three blocks and 7rebounds), Prinsloo (13 points and seven rebounds) and Robinson Opong (14 points and 4/4 FT).

Mooring had the following to say:

Coach put together a great game plan, we executed our plays and that’s what worked well for us today. [.] We have one goal; to qualify for Pretoria and we’re going to do just that.

The Johannesburg and Kigali-based teams still have 2 crucial games as they close off their conference with Al Ahli and Nairobi City Thunder. 2 games that can change the course of their seasons.

[Photography Courtesy of The BAL]