‘We Didn’t Put in Enough Effort to Win the Game,’ Flyers’ Okoh Rues Missed Chances in Defeat to ASC Ville de Dakar
Guard Thomas Okoh did not hide his frustration after Maktown Flyers’ BAL 2026 Sahara Conference campaign ended in disappointment, admitting that the Nigerian champions simply failed to rise to the occasion.
‘They wanted it more than we did. We didn’t put in enough effort to win the game. We were slow, whereas they were ready to get the job done.
‘We haven’t played the right way since the beginning of this competition,’ he said after the 79-62 defeat to ASC Ville de Dakar in Rabat.
The loss capped a miserable Sahara Conference run for the Flyers, who finished with a 1-4 record and four straight defeats.
Their early promise in the opening quarter, when they briefly led 12-9, quickly evaporated once Dakar’s Samba Fall took control.
Fall’s 20 points and 10 rebounds powered the Senegalese side to their third consecutive win and secured the final playoff spot.
For the Flyers, the night was a painful reminder of the gulf between Nigeria’s domestic champions and the continental elite.
James Buttle Jr. top-scored with 16 points and Peter Olisemeka added 10, but the rest of the roster failed to make an impact.
The defeat means Dakar join Club Africain, FUS Rabat, and Al Ahly in the 2026 BAL playoffs, while the Flyers head home to reflect on a campaign that never found its rhythm.
For Nigerian basketball, it was another bitter chapter, with the Flyers becoming the second team from the country to miss out on the postseason since Kwara Falcons in 2023.
