Billy Preston got 20 points and 11 rebounds, Samkelo Cele added 17 points and Dylan Whitbread made clutch threes down the stretch, and South Africa’s Cape Town Tigers beat Angola’s Petro de Luanda 84-78 in the sold-out SunBet Arena in Pretoria last night. It was the Tigers’ first Kalahari Conference win, putting them back in contention for a third consecutive appearance in the Basketball Africa League (BAL) (https://BAL.NBA.com) Playoffs and Finals set to take place at BK Arena in Kigali, Rwanda in late May.
Petro de Luanda was led by Yannick Moreira who finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Childe Dundao added 10 points and three steals, and Petro will now wait for the result of the final Kalahari Conference game between the conference leaders Morocco’s FUS Rabat and the Tigers this evening.
KALAHARI CONFERENCE ENTERTAINMENT
In-arena performances last night included Maglera Doe Boy setting the tone for the home crowd, followed by an electrifying halftime performance by Zee Nxumalo.
The final day of the Kalahari Conference will see the Tigers face FUS de Rabat at 7 p.m. CAT tonight. Rappers Venom, Shishiliza & Ch’cco will entertain fans in a pregame show, with South African superstar Cassper Nyovest set to perform at halftime.
BAL4HER “CAREER IN SPORTS” WORKSHOP
The final Kalahari Conference weekend tipped off at the NBA Africa offices in Sandton with a BAL4HER “Career in Sports” workshop yesterday morning, where 45 young women and 20 mentors gathered for in-depth conversations about personal growth and development, career growth, overcoming challenges and how to advance and further develop women’s basketball ecosystem.
The workshop was opened by NBA Africa CEO Clare Akamanzi, and also included a panel discussion with BAL President Amadou Gallo Fall, leadership coach Michelle Moore, NBA Africa Media Partnerships Lead and former South Africa Women’s National Team guard Kornelia Semmelink, and NBA Africa Social Responsibility Lead and former South Africa Men’s National Team point guard Mthoko Madonda, moderated by leadership development coach Akhona Ngcobo. The second session of the day saw former South African Women’s National Team captain Emmarentia Ledwaba, Princess Tirelo Molotlegi of the Royal Bafokeng Nation and Springboks’ Rugby World Cup Champion Tendai “Beast” Mtawarira share their experiences in overcoming challenges both in life and in their sports careers. Before everyone made their way to the SunBet Arena, the workshop had concluded with breakout sessions where mentors and mentees discussed the areas of sport management, personal and professional development, work-life balance and more.
BAL4HER is the league’s platform for advancing gender equity in the African sports ecosystem and celebrating women in the sports industry who serve as role models to young women across the continent. During each stop of the BAL season, young women from the local basketball community are invited to take part in basketball clinics, workshops, and a VIP game-day experience.
