South African champions Cape Town Tigers have secured a consecutive victory as champions in the East Division Elite 16 of the Basketball Africa League (BAL) qualifiers.
In the final match against City Oilers, the Tigers emerged victorious with a narrow 70-68 win, decided in the last 16 seconds.
Malian point guard Cartier Ducati Diarra’s decisive jumper in the final moments sealed the Tigers’ win.
Despite both teams already securing spots in the 2024 BAL, they now shift their focus to preparations for the upcoming league.
City Oilers aim to redeem themselves and qualify for the playoffs, while the Tigers, who were eliminated in the quarters in their last BAL appearance, are gearing up to advance to the Last Four.
Tigers won the tournament unbeaten after winning all their preliminary and knock out matches.
The hosts begun the tournament with a 76-61Burundi’s Dynamo before crushing Tanzania’s Pazi Basketball Club 95-87 and NBA Academy Africa 69-61 in Group A.
In the semifinals, the South Africans knocked out Madagascar reigning champions COSPN after a 67-63 win.
