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Libya Observer
4 days ago
- Sport
- Libya Observer
Al Ahly Tripoli qualify for BAL finals with record-breaking run
Kigali, Rwanda – Libyan basketball club Al Ahly Tripoli have secured their place in the finals of the Basketball Africa League (BAL) after a dominant performance in the Nile Conference, finishing with a perfect 6–0 record. The team, coached by Lebanon's Fouad Abou Chacra, swept past South Africa's MBB, Kenya's Nairobi City Thunder, and hosts Rwanda Army, winning both home and away ties in the round-robin stage. Their unbeaten campaign extends to 12 games, including earlier qualifiers in Tripoli and Abidjan. Al Ahly's performances in Kigali were not only convincing but historic. The Libyan side shattered the BAL's all-time scoring record with a 115–87 win over Nairobi, eclipsing the previous record of 113 points set by US Monastir in 2021. They also became the first team in the tournament's history to score over 100 points in four separate matches. Senegalese forward Jean Jacques Boissy made headlines with a 30-point game—the highest individual tally in BAL history—surpassing the previous best of 29 points set by US Monastir's DJ Hardy. Team captain Mohamed Al-Saadi also impressed, ranking second in rebounds with an average of 9.5 per game. Speaking after the win, point guard Nassim Badrouch praised the team's achievement but urged caution ahead of the finals in Pretoria, South Africa, which begin on 5 June. Al Ahly Tripoli will face fellow undefeated side Al Ittihad Alexandria of Egypt to determine final seeding. The winner will face the loser of Creole Sport (Cape Verde) vs FUS Rabat (Morocco) in the quarter-finals, while the runner-up will play the winner. The knockout stage will determine the 2025 BAL champion. The tournament is organised by FIBA Africa in collaboration with the NBA. Tags: basketball club Al Ahly Tripoli
The Herald
6 days ago
- Sport
- The Herald
MBB miss out on Pretoria playoffs after BAL conference elimination
From then, MBB found their mojo and put up a seven-point extension into the score line and were 14-7 with four minutes remaining, but the Libyan outfit made a comeback and tied the game 16-16 with two minutes left. Though MBB were resilient, Al Ahly ended up winning the quarter 23-16. MBB kept on chipping important buckets in the second quarter, but whenever they moved closer to Tripoli's score, Italian head coach Abou Chacra's men would step on the accelerator. The closest difference MBB moved to was a three-point deficit at 30-27 with four minutes before halftime. Al Ahly, who had already secured a place in the playoffs, went to the dressing room team talk ahead at 42-34. The Libyans ensured that the writing was on the wall for the South Africans and diminished any thoughts of a miracle comeback. They walked away with the game in the third quarter. Jean Jacques Boissy, who was arguably the best player in the conference, slotted a three-point step back jump shot five minutes into the quarter, and Al Ahly took a lead of 22 points. Tripoli had a 69-48 advantage heading into the last 10 minutes of the game. Despite Lenard, Prinsloo and Mooring putting shots at the end, it was not enough to stop the Libyans as they walked away with a 29-point win. US player Jaylen Adams, who played 32:43 for Tripoli, finished with a top score of 28 points. Daily Dispatch
TimesLIVE
6 days ago
- Sport
- TimesLIVE
MBB miss out on Pretoria playoffs after BAL conference elimination
Johannesburg's Made by Ball's (MBB) dream of reaching the Basketball Africa League playoffs in their debut season was torpedoed when they were beaten 102-73 by Al Alhy Tripoli in their last Nile Conference game at the BK Arena in Kigali on Sunday. This means SA will not have a representative when the playoffs take place at the Sunbet Arena in Pretoria in two weeks. MBB had to beat conference leaders Al Ahly if they were to qualify to play on home soil as per the standings. They needed to finish second or at least third for the last wild card spot. That spot falls to FUS Rabat of Morocco, who, like MBB, won two games but have a better points difference of -19 compared with the Johannesburg side's -64. US import Teafale Lenard Jr put in another impressive shift on top of his 39 points which he had scored the previous day. The ex-NBA G League player put up 18 points, 11 rebounds and two assists, but his efforts were not enough to carry the team over the line. Jovan Mooring with 10 points and Pieter Prinsloo (11) were the only other players to score double figures. The bench contributed 27 points. By contrast, the men from Libya had 49 points. The 2.13m tall David Craig, who missed the Nairobi City Thunder game on Saturday with a stomach bug, returned to the starting five and was the only change head coach Sam Vincent made. Tripoli quickly opened up a four-point gap from the tip-off, but Lenard levelled matters. With that kind of clinical display from the perimeter, there is no question why Jaylen Adams walks away with the @visitrwanda_now MVP accolade 👏. #BAL5 — Basketball Africa League (@theBAL) May 25, 2025 From then, MBB found their mojo and put up a seven-point extension into the score line and were 14-7 with four minutes remaining, but the Libyan outfit made a comeback and tied the game 16-16 with two minutes left. Though MBB were resilient, Al Ahly ended up winning the quarter 23-16. MBB kept on chipping important buckets in the second quarter, but whenever they moved closer to Tripoli's score, Italian head coach Abou Chacra's men would step on the accelerator. The closest difference MBB moved to was a three-point deficit at 30-27 with four minutes before halftime. Al Ahly, who had already secured a place in the playoffs, went to the dressing room team talk ahead at 42-34. The Libyans ensured that the writing was on the wall for the South Africans and diminished any thoughts of a miracle comeback. They walked away with the game in the third quarter. Jean Jacques Boissy, who was arguably the best player in the conference, slotted a three-point step back jump shot five minutes into the quarter, and Al Ahly took a lead of 22 points. Tripoli had a 69-48 advantage heading into the last 10 minutes of the game. Despite Lenard, Prinsloo and Mooring putting shots at the end, it was not enough to stop the Libyans as they walked away with a 29-point win. US player Jaylen Adams, who played 32:43 for Tripoli, finished with a top score of 28 points.
TimesLIVE
6 days ago
- Sport
- TimesLIVE
MBB's Pretoria playoffs qualification hangs by thread
Johannesburg's Made by Ball (MBB) will have to wait another 24 hours to learn their fate in the Basketball Africa League after they blew an opportunity to secure playoff qualification, losing 85-76 to Nairobi City Thunder at the BK Arena in Kigali, on Saturday. A win over Thunder would have booked the South Africans a ticket to Pretoria in two weeks, but now they have to beat Nile Conference leaders Al Alhy Tripoli in their final game on Sunday, or the country will not have a representative in the playoffs. US Imports Teafale Lenard Jr with 39 points and nine rebounds, and Jovan Mooring's 15 points and four rebounds were the standout players for MBB. None of the players who started and those who came from the bench made it past double figures. MBB missed the presence of 2.13m David Craig, who had stellar performances in their two consecutive wins during the week. His teammate Nkosi Sibanyoni said the player had a stomach ache. Lenard Jr knocks down a much-needed triple for MBB in a tightly contested third quarter. Follow the action live on YT: #BAL5 — Basketball Africa League (@theBAL) May 24, 2025 His absence in the paint was severely felt from the get-go defensively as the Kenyans bum-rushed the South Africans. Ariel Okall Okoll Koranga quickly put up four points through driving layups, and Elbert Odero, together with Eugene Adera, added one apiece from the free throw line. Stunned by the fast start from Nairobi, MBB head coach Sam Vincent called a timeout. His talk seemed to calm the nerves as straight from the huddle, Mooring opened the scoring for MBB with a two-pointer, but the Kenyans kept on chipping away at the score and halfway through the quarter, took a 10-point lead. With MBB cornered, another Lenard Jr stepped up and he scored 14 points, closing the gap and handing the SA side a 24-20 advantage. MBB stepped on the accelerator in the second quarter and took an 11-point lead halfway, but failure to convert points and rebounds at crucial moments allowed the Kenyans to spark a comeback, eventually going to the break 41-39. Lenard and Mooring continued their fight in the third quarter, combining for 12 points, but despite those efforts, Nairobi took a 55-54 lead. Seconds into the fourth quarter, Omar Thielemans put up a two-point layup to hand MBB the lead. Lenard Jr followed that with another two-pointer and that would be the last time the SA team would take the lead at 58-57 with nine minutes to go. Lenard would continue making shots, but the other MBB players were lost at sea. City Thunder quickly extended their lead to a seven-point difference with five minutes to go, and then they went on a stretch to eventually walk away with their first win of the competition. City Thunder had five players who made it past double figures, with Odero making 23 points.
The Herald
24-05-2025
- Sport
- The Herald
MBB's Pretoria playoffs qualification hangs by thread
His absence in the paint was severely felt from the get-go defensively as the Kenyans bum-rushed the South Africans. Ariel Okall Okoll Koranga quickly put up four points through driving layups, and Elbert Odero, together with Eugene Adera, added one apiece from the free throw line. Stunned by the fast start from Nairobi, MBB head coach Sam Vincent called a timeout. His talk seemed to calm the nerves as straight from the huddle, Mooring opened the scoring for MBB with a two-pointer, but the Kenyans kept on chipping away at the score and halfway through the quarter, took a 10-point lead. With MBB cornered, another Lenard Jr stepped up and he scored 14 points, closing the gap and handing the SA side a 24-20 advantage. MBB stepped on the accelerator in the second quarter and took an 11-point lead halfway, but failure to convert points and rebounds at crucial moments allowed the Kenyans to spark a comeback, eventually going to the break 41-39. Lenard and Mooring continued their fight in the third quarter, combining for 12 points, but despite those efforts, Nairobi took a 55-54 lead. Seconds into the fourth quarter, Omar Thielemans put up a two-point layup to hand MBB the lead. Lenard Jr followed that with another two-pointer and that would be the last time the SA team would take the lead at 58-57 with nine minutes to go. Lenard would continue making shots, but the other MBB players were lost at sea. City Thunder quickly extended their lead to a seven-point difference with five minutes to go, and then they went on a stretch to eventually walk away with their first win of the competition. City Thunder had five players who made it past double figures, with Odero making 23 points. Daily Dispatch
