Petro reach third BAL final, White Jr heroics push debutants Tripoli through
He shot 9-for-14 from the floor, including 3-for-6 from deep, grabbed seven rebounds and dished out two assists, his heroics vital for the BAL debutants to reach the 2025 final, finishing with a game-high 23 points.
White Jnr was joined by Caleb Agada, who came off the bench to score 17 points. Mohamed Sadi and Jaylen Adams notched 13 points each.
'Fabian joined us late but he played as if he had been part of the team and our game plan for years. He is not only a great player but also an even better person. I love him,' said Al Ahli captain Mohamed Sadi.
Sadi is in his second BAL season, having played for AS Douanes in the inaugural campaign. 'Since day one, I have been saying we are going to make history for Libya,' he said.
Last season, the Libyan team Al Ahli Ly finished second. Their Tripoli namesakes will look to go one better.
'Al Ahli Ly Benghazi was in a similar situation last season. This shows how much basketball has improved in Libya,' Sadi said.
Basketball Africa League
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Mail & Guardian
15 hours ago
- Mail & Guardian
BAL taking flight in fifth season
Unbeaten: Al Ahli Tripoli from Libya, pictured versus Kriol Stars, became the second Libyan team to make it to the BAL final. They face Angola's Petro de Luanda on Saturday. Photo: Julien Bacot: BAL/Getty Images The fifth year of the Basketball Africa League (BAL) may be the charm for the continent's premier men's basketball tournament. After battling Covid-19 disruptions when it was supposed to By some strange twist in convention, this year Pretoria managed to pry the playoffs and finals from Kigali's clutches — an unprecedented move given how much sway Rwanda appears to have in the league's runnings. All four playoffs and finals have been played in East Africa's swanky BK Arena. Yet, as fledgling a basketball nation as it may be, South Africa seems to have made quite an impression when it finally got to get in on the action by hosting the Kalahari Conference in March last year. Our signature vibes — punctuated by schoolboy war cries and amapiano performances — may have been what sold the powers that be. That, and of course, having a team to root for in the since-derailed But no such luck this year. The Tigers are nowhere in sight and our new representatives, Made By Ball, didn't make the playoffs. Thankfully we do have Southern African Development Community representation in our Angolan brethren, the defending champions Petro de Luanda. Just as well, because they clinched a semifinal spot on Monday by beating Tunisia's US Monastir 95-84. The other semifinal spot went to BAL first-timers Rwanda's Armée Patriotique Rwandaise (APR), who thrashed last season's third-place winners Rivers Hoopers (Nigeria) 104-73 on Monday as well. These games set us up for Wednesday, when things warmed up in temperature and play as the cold eased off and the semifinals took place. In the afternoon game, a more-than-decent-for-midweek crowd featured Rwandan flags that made it clear that APR was supported. The team's Malian star and the tournament's leading active scorer on average, Aliou Diarra, was expected to have a big game but only managed to score 13 points — the exact amount of points that his team would've needed to win the game as Tripoli beat them 81-74. With their win, Al Ahli Tripoli became just the second Libyan team to make it to the BAL final after going unbeaten in the group stage of play — and in their maiden BAL season, no less. In the evening game, Petro faced the newest Egyptian BAL team in Al Ittihad Alexandria, who had remained untouched in the playoffs. South African fans took to cheering on Samkelo Cele, Petro's Durban-born star, in what felt like the most lively and spirited game of the playoffs. Cele, who earned himself a stint with the New York Knicks' (NBA) Summer League team last July after playing with the Tigers last season, scored 10 points and four rebounds in their dominant 96-74 win. Al Ittihad and APR will vie for the bronze finish when they play in the third-place game on Friday evening – an opportunity for both rookie teams to leave with something. Pretoria's frosty temperatures and the randomness of midweek basketball games notwithstanding, audience turnout grew as the days went, dispelling any concerns of scantness. On Saturday, during seeding games, the music and drums in the arena sounded louder than the crowd. In one section, a few children could be heard cheering 'De-fence!' and screaming gleefully when a player — from any team — made a free throw shot. By the last game of the semis, the crowd had clearly picked a side, with loud chants accompanied by stomps to the beat of 'Lets go, Petro!' So we know who the crowd is likely to cheer for come Saturday's final. Speaking to the Mail & Guardian, Petro's assistant coach Jorge Elorduy preferred not to linger on the team's strong showing. 'We are really happy with the performance, [but] this game is over and we look for[ward to] Saturday. Tripoli's head coach Fouad Abou Chacra was more forthcoming: 'If you look at our stats, you'll see our team is doing eight, nine turnovers a game. Plus, we are doing like, 18, 19 assists a game. These are signs for a champion. And we will do anything to win it. Because we have quality players, we have determination and the will. Inshallah, God will give us this victory. Forty more minutes.' And, yes, we all know which region tends to hold the cards when we get this deep into the season. But last season's Petro win may have been the first of many non-North African titles, too — and a back-to-back win for the Angolans.
The Herald
a day ago
- The Herald
Petro reach third BAL final, White Jr heroics push debutants Tripoli through
He shot 9-for-14 from the floor, including 3-for-6 from deep, grabbed seven rebounds and dished out two assists, his heroics vital for the BAL debutants to reach the 2025 final, finishing with a game-high 23 points. White Jnr was joined by Caleb Agada, who came off the bench to score 17 points. Mohamed Sadi and Jaylen Adams notched 13 points each. 'Fabian joined us late but he played as if he had been part of the team and our game plan for years. He is not only a great player but also an even better person. I love him,' said Al Ahli captain Mohamed Sadi. Sadi is in his second BAL season, having played for AS Douanes in the inaugural campaign. 'Since day one, I have been saying we are going to make history for Libya,' he said. Last season, the Libyan team Al Ahli Ly finished second. Their Tripoli namesakes will look to go one better. 'Al Ahli Ly Benghazi was in a similar situation last season. This shows how much basketball has improved in Libya,' Sadi said. Basketball Africa League
TimesLIVE
a day ago
- TimesLIVE
Petro reach third BAL final, White Jr heroics push debutants Tripoli through
Petro de Luanda beat Al Ittihad 96-74 in Wednesday evening's second semifinal at SunBet Arena in Pretoria to advance to the Basketball Africa League (BAL) final for the third time in five seasons. It was Al Ittihad's first loss of the season after they reached the semifinals with an undefeated record of 8-0, while Petro de Luanda were 4-4 before the semifinals. The Angolan champions will face Al Ahli Tripoli, earlier 84-71 winner in their semi against APR in the 2025 BAL final on Saturday (4pm). Egyptian giants Ittihad got off to a perfect start, making all three of their first field goals, followed by two free throws by Jo Lual Acuil Jnr for an 8-5 lead. However, when Patrick Gardner sank a three-pointer to tie the game at 8-8, and Rigoberto Mendoza scored a layup to give Petro de Luanda a 10-8 lead, Al Ittihad found themselves on the ropes. FINAL BOUND! Here they come 🔜🇦🇴🔥 @castlelitesa Game Summary! #BAL5 — Basketball Africa League (@theBAL) June 11, 2025 The Egyptians chased the reigning champions for most of the rest of the game and trailed by up to 25 points at times. Despite Ittihad's defensive adjustments, Petro de Luanda's determination and collective effort proved too difficult to overcome. Al Ittihad's three-point shots were nowhere to be found. They finished 5-for-26, while Petro made 11 of their 27 three-point attempts. Petro stepped onto the floor with a new starting line-up for the third consecutive post-season game. Their bench outscored Ittihad's 60-35. Majok Deng finished with a team-high 17 points for Ittihad. Reigning BAL Most Valuable Player Jo Lual Acuil Jnr added 16 points for the Egyptian outfit, who shot 15-for-24 from the free throw line. Petro guard Kendrick Ray shot 6-for-8 from deep, leading all players with 21 points. Aboubacar Gakou added 17 points off the bench and Patrick Gardner had a huge performance, finishing with 14 points, eight rebounds and three blocked shots. It was our lucky day: we got to watch Kendrick Ray hoop 🤩 @visitrwanda_now Player of the Game! #BAL5 — Basketball Africa League (@theBAL) June 11, 2025 'Our game against APR [which we lost 75-57] motivated us to be ready for the quarterfinals,' Gardner said. 'The biggest word we use as a team is 'sacrifice', doing whatever is needed to win.' 'Everyone on this team has been doing their job well. It's great to come out with two wins.' Ittihad will finish their 2025 BAL campaign against APR in Friday's third-place game (7pm). Fabian White Jnr joined Al Ahli Tripoli just days before the BAL playoffs. He became the Libyan champions' hero in a hard-fought semifinal against Rwanda's APR. The 26-year-old power forward played the entire 40 minutes, doing everything for Al Ahli Tripoli. Another masterclass for Fabian White Jr. 👏 @visitrwanda_now Player of the Game! #BAL5 — Basketball Africa League (@theBAL) June 11, 2025 He shot 9-for-14 from the floor, including 3-for-6 from deep, grabbed seven rebounds and dished out two assists, his heroics vital for the BAL debutants to reach the 2025 final, finishing with a game-high 23 points. White Jnr was joined by Caleb Agada, who came off the bench to score 17 points. Mohamed Sadi and Jaylen Adams notched 13 points each. 'Fabian joined us late but he played as if he had been part of the team and our game plan for years. He is not only a great player but also an even better person. I love him,' said Al Ahli captain Mohamed Sadi. Sadi is in his second BAL season, having played for AS Douanes in the inaugural campaign. 'Since day one, I have been saying we are going to make history for Libya,' he said. Last season, the Libyan team Al Ahli Ly finished second. Their Tripoli namesakes will look to go one better. 'Al Ahli Ly Benghazi was in a similar situation last season. This shows how much basketball has improved in Libya,' Sadi said.
