JCA Kings beat Nadi Basket Staoueli 76-63, securing their second consecutive Basketball Africa League. Mohamed Keita was the standout performer with 16 points and 6 assists as the Ivorian champions secured a historic Road to BAL 2027 Elite16 win.
Last Updated on
November 14, 2026
JCA Kings of Ivory Coast are off to the BAL for a second year in a row. They beat Nadi Basket Staoueli of Algeria 76-63 in Abidjan to secure their place in the Elite 16. Mohamed Keita was the main force for the Ivorian side, keen to show that last year’s run to the BAL was no fluke.
Keita finished with 16 points, six assists and two blocks on the night, proving to be a real stumbling block every time Staoueli got close.
The game remained close through three quarters. Keita opened the scoring with a three-pointer, then added a steal and breakaway dunk to give the hosts a 21-18 lead after the first quarter. The second quarter was similarly competitive, with JCA holding a narrow 39-37 advantage at halftime.
After halftime, the Algerians tied the game as Lassina Konate made consecutive steals and scored in transition, bringing the score to 46-46. At this point, Algeria had gained defensive momentum.
But with Keita on the court, JCA steadied themselves in the tie as he hit a pull-up three, blocked a shot at the other end, and soon after threw down a fast-break dunk that lifted his teammates and the crowd. Attoule Alla then made a shot beyond the arc just before the third-quarter buzzer, and JCA suddenly led by nine (55-46) heading into the final quarter.
The game shifted in the final quarter. Joseph Kouakou blocked a shot at the rim, stole the ball, and completed a fast-break dunk. Aboubakr Gbane then hit a three-pointer off a Trevon Duval assist, extending the lead to double digits. Keita added a strong finish and a driving layup, while Konate secured extra possessions with his defence.
JCA had five players score in double figures. In addition to Keita, Duval recorded 10 points and five assists; Gbane contributed 10 points and eight rebounds; Alla added 10 points and three assists; and Konate posted 10 points, four rebounds, and four steals. Kouakou made his impact on defence with five blocks and four rebounds.
Staoueli’s best player, Mohamed Harat, did what he could, registering 24 points, eight rebounds, and three assists, and kept driving into the JCA defence. Hichem Dekakene added 15 points and four rebounds, and Amine Bensalah had nine points and five rebounds.
As a team, JCA shot 45.2% and finished with 20 assists, 40 rebounds, nine steals and 13 blocks. Staoueli won the rebounding battle 46-40 but shot just 35.5% overall and went 2-for-15 from three.
Captain of the winning team, Joseph Kouakou, couldn’t hold back his excitement when asked to share his thoughts after the game.
“Before the game, we were all excited; we knew what we had to do, and that was what played out. We played together because we all had the same goal. We didn’t focus on the mistakes or the turnovers, and we got the qualification for the BAL next year.”
Assistant coach of Nadi Basket, Abderrehmane Ziad, described the game as a tough loss but insisted that they want to win the third-place game.
“It was a tough loss; we didn’t shoot well, and we failed to make many threes. You can’t do that in modern basketball; we had lots of turnovers, and that is not good. We still have a game tomorrow; we will try to correct our wrongs, and we can win and finish in third place.”
Kurt-Curry Wegscheider also added that the loss hurts, but they will shake it off and come back stronger next year.
“It was a game that was a final for us, the players. We wanted to win, but unfortunately we lost. This year was somehow better for us, but we didn’t take advantage of it. We will talk about our mistakes today, study the Malian team, try to finish on the podium and make Algeria proud at the end of the day.”
