Despite a strong individual performance, Rivers Hoopers forward Raphael Putney says his team still has “a lot to prove” as they prepare to face APR in the 2025 Basketball Africa League (BAL) quarterfinals on Monday, June 9.
Putney’s comments came after the Hoopers suffered a tough 89-81 loss to US Monastir in the playoff-seeding match in Pretoria on Saturday.
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The defeat marked Rivers Hoopers’ third loss in their last five games, underscoring the need for improvement ahead of the knockout stages.
Putney delivered a standout performance against US Monastir, scoring a game-high 28 points, including five three-pointers in the first half.
His explosive plays kept the Hoopers ahead through much of the opening two quarters and early third. However, a strong response from US Monastir’s bench turned the tide.
Coach Vasco Curado’s substitutions proved decisive for US Monastir, as bench players Andrew Edogi, Joackim Haddad, and Babacar Sane combined for 39 points. Edogi hit two pivotal three-pointers to give Monastir a 63-59 lead midway through the third quarter — a lead they never relinquished.
Haddad and Sane added more firepower, with Sane leading the team with 22 points. Patrick Hardy Jr. contributed 17, while Osiris Eldridge added 10 points for the Tunisian side.
Despite Putney’s heroics, and solid support from Madut Akec (15 points) and Peter Olisemeka (11 points, 10 rebounds), Rivers Hoopers were unable to recover as Ahmed Doumbia’s three-pointer at the buzzer could only narrowed the gap to single digits.
With the win, US Monastir improved to a 5-2 record and will now face Petro de Luanda in a clash of former BAL champions.
Rivers Hoopers, now 4-3, will take on a surging APR team that is coming off back-to-back wins, including a notable victory over Petro de Luanda.
Looking ahead to Monday’s quarterfinal against APR, Putney remains hopeful.
“We just need to stay poised. I think we have a good chance of going far in these playoffs,” he said.
“We’re still the underdogs and have a lot to prove. But if we stick together, we’ll be able to win.”
The Hoopers will need to rediscover their early-tournament form quickly to overcome an APR side that appears to be peaking at the right time with back to back victories in the 2025 BAL.
