Get Guardian on GoogleThe final day of the Sahara Conference in Rabat delivered high-stakes drama, beginning with Senegal’s ASC Ville de Dakar securing the last playoff berth with a commanding 79–62 win over Nigeria’s Maktown Flyers.
Dakar completed an impressive turnaround from a 0–2 start, powered by Samba Fall’s 20 points and eight rebounds, with strong support from Lamine Badji (13 points, 10 rebounds) and Mouhamed Camara (12 points, nine rebounds). Maktown, led by JC Butler Jr. (16 points) and Peter Olisemeka (12 points, nine rebounds), were eliminated, finishing their campaign 1–4 as Dakar advanced with a 3–2 record.
In the second game, Egypt’s Al Ahly topped the conference with a 77–71 double-overtime victory over Morocco’s FUS Rabat, in just the second double-overtime game in BAL history. Zack Lofton and Malek Abdelgawad led Al Ahly with 17 points each, with Abdelgawad adding 18 rebounds, while key contributions also came from the bench. FUS Rabat, led by Anthony Pritchard (14 points), battled throughout but was undone by turnovers in overtime.
These results confirmed Club Africain, Al Ahly, ASC Ville de Dakar and FUS Rabat as the Sahara Conference representatives heading to the 2026 BAL Playoffs in Kigali.
Nearly 35,000 fans attended BAL games in Morocco. The 2026 NBA Playoffs tip off on May 22.
