By Daily Sports Nigeria on April 30, 2026

Maktown Flyers suffered an 89–80 defeat to Al Ahly in a tightly contested Basketball Africa League clash on Wednesday evening, with the Nigerian side undone by a decisive fourth-quarter surge and a significant disparity in bench production, The PUNCH reports.

The Flyers fell to their second loss in three games despite a standout display from James Butler Jr, who led all scorers with 29 points in an efficient shooting performance that kept his side within touching distance throughout the contest.

Maktown began brightly, relying heavily on perimeter shooting as they registered all their early points from beyond the arc, briefly unsettling their Egyptian opponents.

However, that early momentum proved difficult to sustain as Al Ahly gradually tightened their defence and disrupted the Flyers’ rhythm.

The turning point came midway through the opening quarter when Mohamed Khalaf converted a three-pointer to hand Al Ahly a 12–11 lead, a margin Maktown were unable to overturn for the remainder of the game, despite staying within close range.

A key difference between both sides emerged from the bench, where Al Ahly’s reserves made a decisive impact, contributing 52 points compared to just 16 from the Flyers’ second unit.

The Egyptian side’s rotation, including Kevin Murphy who came off the bench for the first time, provided consistent scoring support and helped maintain intensity across all four quarters.

Murphy finished with 22 points, spearheading a balanced offensive effort, while Osayi Osifo added 20 points on near-perfect shooting, alongside eight rebounds and two blocks to anchor Al Ahly’s dominance on both ends of the court.

Butler Jr’s influence was evident for Maktown, particularly from long range where he was flawless, but the lack of additional scoring support ultimately proved costly as the game progressed.

The Flyers remained competitive heading into the final quarter but were outscored 19–14 as Al Ahly raised their level in the closing stages to seal the victory.

The result leaves Maktown with a 1–2 record in the Sahara Conference, placing them fifth in the standings behind Club Africain, FUS Rabat, Al Ahly and ASC Ville de Dakar.

With the top four teams progressing to the playoffs in Kigali, the Nigerian side now face a crucial run-in against Club Africain and ASC as they seek to remain in contention for qualification.

Source Punch Ng

Posted April 30, 2026

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