Experienced Al Ahly Benghazi Takes Down Irregular CA on a Consequential Margin
Between an experienced Al Ahly Benghazi and a team of foreign players, and an irregular CA that was fatigued and lacked a clear plan (no significant contributions in difficult matches for Perez!), the final victory went to the Libyans by a considerable margin.
The Press —Between the first match and yesterday's game, two days allowed Al Ahly's coach to thoroughly read the CA, setting an aggressive defense centered on Abada, who was exhausted and unable to do anything (why not give him a break for a few minutes?). As usual, the CA started the match poorly (30-20 in the first quarter), with Marnaoui, Jesse Jones, Hdidane, Chennoufi, and Higgins being ineffective and irregular.
Although the CA managed to come back in the second quarter (50-44 at halftime), improving their rebound rate and quick breaks, they were fragile in defense and in individual duels. Each time, the CA was able to close the gap to 5 and 7 points, but Al Ahly, led by Williams, Saadi, Charles, and Majok (what quality!), came back each time to widen the gap.
The secret to their success? A good success rate in three-point shots (40% compared to 20% for the CA) and, above all, in mid-range shots (75% compared to 48% for the Tunisians) and also a physical freshness. If we compare the individual quality of the players, the CA was at a disadvantage. There was a good chance in the first match, but yesterday, the law of the strongest was respected.
The CA tried their best, but frankly, they could have done better and avoided losing by such a large margin. Slow, clumsy, and with foreign players as mediocre as Jones and Cissé, with worn-out leaders like Hdidane, Chennoufi, Jaouadi, and even Abada, it was impossible to come back.
This is an honest performance for the CA in this BAL, but they need to learn from their mistakes and find ways to choose foreign players of better quality. Apart from Aminu Jones, Gueye (despite 12 points scored), Higgins, and Cissé, the other foreign players do not have the same technical value as those of Al Ahly Benghazi and the other favorites. As for the coaching staff, Perez is not the coach who can take the CA far.
Note: BAL stands for Basketball Africa League.
