US Monastir, led by Patrick Hardy Jr’s 29-point performance, defeated BAL debutants Kriol Star 91-83. The 2022 BAL champions moved to 3-2, securing a crucial win and edging closer to the 2025 Basketball Africa League Playoffs in South Africa.
Last Updated on
May 4, 2025
Basketball Africa League (BAL) 2022 champions US Monastir have moved closer to the premier African club competition playoffs set for South Africa in June. Patrick Hardy Jr barely put a foot wrong from behind the arc, converting six of his eight attempts, as his side, US Monastir, dominated debutants Kriol Star in a 91-83 show.
In just over 31 minutes on the court, Hardy Jr dropped 29 points, with only three coming from the charity stripe, adding six assists and two rebounds for a game-high 31 efficiency rating in a match of two halves. Heading to the match, both sides posted a 2-2 conference record.
"The team was really focused in the opening half, we played well for the opening 25 minutes. I am, however, a bit disappointed as we did not close the match the way I had anticipated.
In the second half our defensive intensity was not as good as there was a lack of focus. We should have done better in those final 15 minutes. We allowed too many points in," offered Monastir head coach Vasco Curado.
Hardy Jr made his intentions known from the opening quarter, dropping 12 points as Monastir raced to a quick 29-17 start. In the second quarter, the veteran Radhouane Slimane led the charge as the Islanders played a better stanza but still trailed 19-17 to head to the halftime break with a 14-point deficit.
It was, however, a first half to forget for Kriol Star from behind the arc as they went pointless off seven attempts, a far cry from their show in the first meeting with former champions. The third quarter started with the 2022 champions going on a 7-0 run, five off the unstoppable Hardy Jr, the side's defensive masterclass continuing to carry the North Africans.
Joel Ntambwe started a 7-0 run for Kriol Star, with Joel Almeida's triple taking the game to 55-41. Monastir kept pushing, with Firas Lahyani's layup six minutes into the stanza, taking them 20 points ahead. Hugo Salgado's charges were not giving up easily; Cameron Robert Parker and Ntambwe did the heavy lifting as the Islanders fought for a 21-19 quarter to head to the final period trailing by 12.
Parker got the fourth quarter going with a layup as Ntambwe, who finished with a team-high 21 points, one more than Ivan Almeida, added a basket to make it an eight-point game and revive Kriol Star's comeback hopes. However, Osiris Eldridge and Babacar Sane's back-to-back treys and Deng Acuoth's dunk pulled Monastir back to a double-digit lead, holding on for an eight-point victory.
"The intensity in the second half is the closest in the way we should have played in each moment of any match. It was a good win for Monastir. We missed some key players in this game; we are yet to play any game with a full roster and we are paying for that," said coach Salgado.
[Photography Courtesy of The BAL]
