TRIPOLI (Libya) - In their opening 2027 Road to BAL Group B game against Benin's Energie BC in Tripoli, Liberia's NPA Pythons were given a wake-up call.
Aspiring to become the first Liberian team to qualify for the BAL, the Pythons were no match for Energie BC, losing 92–69.
They enjoyed an eight-point lead for a short time, but once their opponents had identified their strengths, the Pythons spent the rest of the game trying to catch up.
Nothing seemed to be going according to plan for the Liberians.
They turned the ball over 22 times, suffered seven blocks and allowed 46 per cent of their opponents' shots, while watching Energie BC move the ball at an impressive rate of 31 assists.
Recognising the quality of their opponents, NPA Pythons head coach Raphael Quaye attributed the loss to his team's lack of fitness.
Coach Quaye admitted: "I don’t think we showed the level of fitness that we excepted. That impacted the kind of defense that we played and also the way we carried on the offense.
"We need to some assessment to see as to why the guys were not moving as we expected them to have moved. We are getting back to drawing board and see where things have gone wrong and get them corrected."
The NPA Pythons will return to action on Thursday, when they will take on the Spintex Knights of Ghana. Meanwhile, Energie BC will go up against the Nabaya Sofas of Guinea.
FIBA