WO Boufarik Dethrone Staoueli in a Decider to Capture an 11th Algerian Crown

WO Boufarik are champions of Algeria once more. The Oranges beat defending champions Nadi Basket Staoueli 70-66 in a winner-take-all Game 3 to take the best-of-three Super Division final 2-1, lifting the 11th national title in the club's storied history at the Coupole of the Mohamed-Boudiaf Olympic complex.
The series swung back and forth. Staoueli struck first with an emphatic 86-64 win in Game 1, only for Boufarik to level it 87-79 in Game 2 and force a decider. Game 3 began the same ominous way for the Oranges, who dropped the opening quarter 18-16, but they seized control after the break. A 21-17 second quarter and a 27-19 third a combined 12-point swing turned a two-point deficit into a 10-point cushion at 64-54, and although Staoueli won the final quarter 12-6, it was not enough to deny Hachemi Reda's side.
Boufarik shared the load in the clincher, with Tarek Hamdani (194-PG-1995) and Kadour Mitidji each scoring 13, Mohamed Akram) adding 12, Louai Chebel (199-G-1998) 10 and Cherif Achache nine points with nine rebounds. For Staoueli, coached by Yahia Mohamed, Hichem Dekakene (190-G-1997) top-scored with 22 (14-of-18 from the line) and Mohamed Bensalah (200-SF-2002, college: Paul Quinn) posted a 16-point, 14-rebound double-double, but the Blues' cold shooting from distance 4-of-27 from three proved costly.
Among the title winners was Congolese forward Exauce Ikamba (SF-2005), the former BC New Generation wing listed on the scoresheet as Ekamba Exause Moke, who chipped in five points in Game 3. He capped a solid debut campaign in North Africa that yielded averages of 10 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.5 assists. "My first season in Algeria was not easy, but I learned a lot and improved," he said. "Today we are champions. Proud of this team and grateful for this experience."
The triumph restores Boufarik to the top after their previous title in 2024, and No. 11 lifts them level with the Gendarmerie Nationale in second on the all-time list, behind only MC Alger's 21. As national champions, WO Boufarik will represent Algeria at the next edition of the Basketball Africa League, whose final phase is set for the summer of 2027, with qualifiers beginning in the autumn of 2026.