Gladiators eclipse Stars to seal playoff berth
Nust Gladiators flipped the script when it mattered most, edging Afro Stars 75-72 at Unam Gym Hall in Windhoek on Friday to secure the fourth and final Khomas Basketball Association (KBA) Premier League playoff berth.
The result avenged Gladiators’ 73-68 defeat in the sides’ first meeting in May and booked them a best-of-seven playoff series against top-seeded defending champions Quality Basketball Club (QBC), who are chasing back-to-back titles.
Gladiators started strongly and closed the first quarter 23-15 ahead after stretching their advantage to a game-high 10 points at 23-13.
Afro responded emphatically in the second period. A 14-point scoring run helped them turn the contest on its head and build their own 10-point lead at 34-24 before taking the quarter 26-13 for a 41-36 halftime advantage.
Afro still led 52-43 midway through the third quarter, but Gladiators closed the period on a 15-7 run to pull within one at 59-58. They then won the final quarter 17-13 to complete the comeback.
Gladiators’ improvement around the basket proved decisive after KayCee Alexander (#2) had lamented their finishing following the previous weekend’s 74-56 defeat to QBC, saying: “We were missing a lot of layups.”
Against QBC, Gladiators converted only 20 of 65 attempts in the paint for 40 points. This time they made 24-of-57 for 48 paint points, while holding Afro to 30 points on 15-of-50 shooting inside.
Efficiency gap
The efficiency gap was telling, as both sides attempted 59 two-pointers, but Gladiators made 24 compared with Afro’s 16, giving them a 16-point advantage from two-point baskets alone.
Gladiators also controlled the glass 67-54 and turned 25 offensive rebounds into a 20-10 advantage in second-chance points.
Afro nevertheless won several important battles without finishing the job.
They forced Gladiators into 31 turnovers while committing 22, registered 17 steals to 13 and converted those mistakes into a 27-11 advantage in points off turnovers. Their bench also outscored Gladiators’ reserves 22-9.
However, Afro shot only 23-of-81 from the field for 28.4%, compared with Gladiators’ 30-of-80 at 37.5%, and made only 19-of-34 free throws.
Jonathan Bakome (#8) led Gladiators with a game-high 27 points and 19 rebounds, including seven offensive boards. He shot 12-of-19 from the field and finished with a game-high efficiency rating of 35.
‘This is unbelievable’
Reflecting on helping Gladiators secure a playoff berth, Bakome was at a loss for words as he tried to describe the feeling.
“This is unbelievable. I swear this is unbelievable. First of all, all glory to Jesus. I am feeling great. I have nothing more to say [apart from that],” an elated Bakome said.
Afro’s Adriano Tchitula (#2) produced 23 points, 14 rebounds and seven steals, but shot 6-of-22 from the field.
He made 10 of 15 free throws overall, but missed three consecutive attempts in the closing seconds as Afro passed up opportunities to draw level or move ahead.
Meanwhile, Unam Rebels handed archrivals Unam Wolves a rude awakening with a 64-60 victory in their final regular-season encounter.
Wolves and Rebels finish second and third, respectively, and will meet again in a best-of-seven playoff series, with Rebels carrying renewed confidence into the battle for a place in the final.
