My two cents: All credit to Al Ahly but REG could have done better

You expect to see a home team like REG to tip off a BAL playoff knock-out with nothing but a burst of desperate grit and energy. But if we’ve learned anything from Saturday’s game, it is that Egyptian champions Al Ahly don’t care one bit about expectations. ALSO READ: BAL Playoffs: Ehab Amin punishes REG, steers Al Ahly into semis REG BBC opened an 11-8 run, relying mainly on Center Pitchou Manga and the shot-making ability of Axel Mpoyo, and the pace was looking in favor of the reds. Against a sold out BK Arena crowd that kept on cheering for the home team, Al Ahly were coming up empty in trying to equalize the score. Then star point guard, Ehab Amin, 2019 NBA draft, stepped up, found his rhythm and REG’s bucket drought began immediately, allowing the latter to power a five-point lead in the first quarter, extending the lead by double digits at half time. In head coach Dean Murray’s own words, while Al Ahly is a complete team, REG was capable of taking home the win. With a very good start, the only thing that was required is to be patient on offense. Manga took more than six shots in the first quarter, and for every missed shot, Al Ahly made the home side pay. There was no reason for quick shots. REG just had to be patient and find spots for their shooters, certainly not the center. The poor shot making especially from the paint, coupled with little-to-no discipline on the defensive side, had REG look like a different team, according to coach Murray. “We didn't play discipline on our defense, we were not going for steals, we got a little bit out of position, they made us pay from the three point line,” he told Times Sport in a post-match interview. REG had to come out and play their game, as expected from the supporters. Equally alarming is the depth of the bench which only contributed 13 points against 39 from Al Ahly’s bench. Fans expected to see the prowess of point guard Ntore Habimana, the defensive agility of Steven Hagumintwali imported into the game to trigger any kind of change. But the pair was nowhere to be seen, even when trailing by more than 20 points with less than 10 minutes to wrap up the game. Certainly, Al Ahly is a solid team, but with REG’s clutch shot making mainly from Adonis Filer and Cleveland Thomas, and the tenacity of Mpoyo and Wilson Nshobozwa, REG could have potentially won the game had they played a little bit better. It is a wrap for REG, but Al Ahly deservedly advanced to the semi-finals. The BAL playoffs kicked off on Saturday, May 20 at BK Arena in Kigali, Rwanda and will culminate with the third BAL Finals on Saturday, May 27. The top eight teams from the Sahara and Nile Conference group phases in Dakar, Senegal and Cairo, Egypt, respectively, are competing in a single-elimination tournament with the winner set to be crowned champions.

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My two cents: All credit to Al Ahly but REG could have done better