Maktown Flyers’ hopes of reaching the Basketball Africa League play-offs suffered a major setback on Friday after a 86–77 defeat to Club Africain left the Nigerian side on the brink of elimination with one game remaining, Saturday PUNCH reports.
The loss marks a third consecutive defeat for the Flyers, who have now fallen to a 1–3 record in the Sahara Conference and sit fifth in the standings, outside the top four required to qualify for the Kigali playoffs.
Maktown had started brightly and produced one of their strongest opening quarters of the campaign, racing into an 18-point lead (27–9) as their mid-range shooting, fast breaks and perimeter play clicked effectively.
However, the momentum shifted dramatically as Club Africain, the only unbeaten side in the group, gradually clawed their way back into contention before taking control after the interval.
Despite Maktown’s early dominance, they were unable to contain the Tunisian side’s second-half surge, with Club Africain overturning the deficit and pulling away to extend their perfect record to 4–0.
James Butler Jr led the Flyers with 18 points, while Patrick Ogbodege Abah added 17 in a losing effort.
Peter Olisemeka contributed nine points and 12 rebounds, offering resistance inside the paint as Maktown battled to stay competitive.
The defeat was particularly painful given the Flyers’ position early in the game, with their intensity and execution fading as Club Africain adjusted defensively and improved their three-point efficiency after a slow start.
Club Africain had themselves struggled in the opening half, shooting just one of 17 from beyond the arc, but they responded strongly after switching to a more effective defensive structure.
Mohamed Hadidane proved decisive in the turnaround, hitting five three-pointers in the third quarter alone as Club Africain overturned the game, while Omar Abada led the scoring with 25 points.
The result leaves Maktown Flyers in fifth place in the Sahara Conference with only one match remaining, and their qualification hopes now depend on other results going in their favour.
Maktown face AS Ville de Dakar in their last game on Sunday by 3pm Nigerian time at Prince Moulay Abdellah Sports Complex, Rabat.
Only the top four teams advance to the playoffs in Kigali, with seeding determined by win-loss records and tie-break criteria including point differential and head-to-head results.
Maktown now face the prospect of an early exit unless they can produce a decisive response in their final group fixture.
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