JOHANNESBURG (South Africa) - The Cape Town Tigers, who won Group F in the Basketball Africa League (BAL) qualifiers with a 3-0 record, made sure that the spotlight shines on the southern tip of Africa as well.

Over the last three days, the South African champions overcame Roche-Bois Warriors of Mauritius, Zambia's Matero Magic before beating Ferroviario da Beira in a highly-contested match on Saturday. 

Ferroviario da Beira almost shocked the home team, but the Cape Town-based team made sure to protect their home-court.

American-owned Tigers went a step further than compatriots Jozi Nuggets did in 2019 by qualifying for the Elite 16 Round of the BAL.

Although happy his team qualified for the next round, Tigers coach Relton Booysen was not pleased with his players on court discipline during the qualifiers.

"I am very proud of the guys. The Beira team has played together for years and have built their chemistry. We are a newly-formed club, so we have been together for a short time," said Booysen after the final game against Ferroviario da Beira. "Again, discipline almost cost us the game. That is something we have to fine-tune if we want to be successful in the next window.

"You could also see we struggled with our fitness. Playing three high-tempo games in succession took a lot out of the players. Hopefully, in the future, the tournament organisers can revisit how they structure the games. The players need a break."

The Tigers will be joined in the next round by neighbouring from Mozambique, Ferroviario da Beira, who finished second in their group.

The Mozambicans, who lost to the South African side on the final day of the qualifiers, will try to emulate the feats of their sister club Ferroviario de Maputo, who featured in the inaugural BAL season in May in Kigali.

Beira coach Luis Hernandez says they had a good experience at the qualifiers despite losing the final game.

The Beira-based team closed their BAL Group F's campaign with a 2-1 record thanks to wins over Roche-Bois Warriors and Matero Magic.

"It has been a great experience. The tournament was great. It was good for us to participate in these kinds of competitions, especially for the players. It's a good experience for them, and we know what we need to work on so that we can improve for the next time," said Hernandez.

Meanwhile, Matero Magic of Zambia failed to replicate the achievements of their countrymen UNZA Pacers, who at this stage of the qualifiers had booked their ticket to the Elite 16 Round in 2019.

The Magic did not get off to a great start in the opening game against Ferroviário da Beira, and while they looked better against the Cape Town Tigers, the Zambian could not outlast them, finishing 1-2 in Group F.

Matero coach David Musonda pointed out that the federation Zambia need to improve their management, as it impacted the team's performance in the tournament.

"The federations back home need to step up. They need to be on the ball regarding certain things. Part of the reason we came up short in the first game (against Ferroviario da Beira), [was] because of the federation back home," said Musonda.

Mauritius club Roche-Bois Warriors of Mauritius, who left the tournament with a 0-3 record, took this as a learning experience as they were new to this level of competition.

"When we started the tournament, we did not know what to expect. We learnt with each game, and you saw the result with the last fixture (against Matero Magic). It was a much better performance as compared to the previous two matches," said Warriors coach Vincent Boitier.

He added: "Now we need to work on maintaining this level. Before we go back home, would like to leave with this message to the rest of the continent, invite us, and we will come."

The BAL Elite 16 Round is expected to be played in November and December.

FIBA