NAIROBI — Nairobi City Thunder head coach Brad Ibs has lamented the lapse in concentration that cost them victory in their third match at the Basketball Africa League (BAL) on Tuesday evening in Kigali, Rwanda.
Ibs admits the team took their feet off the pedal and allowed Made by Basketball (MBB) to claw back from an 18-point deficit and win the game.
"Defensively, I think we stopped playing according to our principles. You could see a lot of reaching and we were giving away a lot of silly fouls. I think that swung the momentum of the game in their favour...a few times we got hurt on free throw boxouts. I think it was just a matter of making simple, basketball plays that hurt us," the American said.
The Kenyan champions went into the fourth quarter leading 60-50 but capitulated in the dying embers of the game, allowing the South Africans to snatch victory from the jaws of the defeat.
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Francline Opong's three-pointer at the buzzer was the death-knell for Thunder who are still without a win in the Nile Conference.
Expounding on his thoughts on the game, Ibs also admitted that his boys should have prioritised driving to the basket rather than three-pointers -- most of which failed to come off.
"One of the things we did really well in the first half was getting in the paint. Our percentages for the paint touches were really high. In the second half, we really struggled. They (MBB) were down with 18 points and so for them, it was more of desperation. Credit to them...I think they defended us very well but we also settled for perimeter-oriented basketball when we should have tried to get to the basket. That wasn't the game plan," he said.
On a positive note, Ibs is proud of the team chemistry and courage with which his charges played for the first time in the tournament.
"It finally felt like we gelled together as a team. Our bench was really united and guys were really pulling for each other. The energy was really great and I am proud of them. It was really fun to coach them tonight," he said.
Up next is a reverse tie against Libya's Al Ahli Tripoli at the same venue on Thursday.
The Kenyans will be keen to avoid a repeat of their 115-87 loss to their fellow debutants on Sunday.
Ibs is excited to see his charges put up an improved performance.
"Everyone who has watched us can see how we have improved in the cohesiveness. We still have three more games to go and our goal is to improve with every game. Hopefully, that will result in some victories," he said.
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Thunder are the only winless side in the competition thus far.
