Petro de Luanda and Al Ahli Set for BAL Season 5 Final Showdown

The Basketball Africa League (BAL) Semi-finals at the Kalahari Conference saw Al Ittihad Alexandria (Egypt), Al Ahli (Libya), Armée Patriotique Rwandaise (APR) (Rwanda), and Clube Atlético Petróleos de Luanda (Petro de Luanda) (Angola) competing for a spot in the championship match. The semi-finals took place at SunBet Arena on #BAL4Her Day, where Petro de Luanda and Al Ahli Tripoli emerged as the finalists for Season 5.

 
During the last semi-final match, Kriol Star’s guard, Joel Almeida, was awarded the prestigious Ubuntu Award, which recognizes a BAL player who has made a significant impact in the community throughout the season. Almeida received this honor for his ongoing efforts in using basketball to positively influence the lives of youth in Cape Verde. The award was presented to him by Clare Akamanzi from NBAA.

 

Joel Almeida

Petro de Luanda defeated Al Ittihad 96-74 on Wednesday evening at SunBet Arena, securing their third appearance in the BAL final in five seasons. Al Ittihad, who had maintained an undefeated record throughout the tournament, suffered their first loss at a crucial stage. 

Petro de Luanda will face Al Ahli Tripoli, who won their semi-final match 84-71 against APR. The BAL Final is scheduled for Saturday at 4 PM, where the season’s champion will be crowned. Samkelo Cele expressed his ambition to lead Petro de Luanda to back-to-back championships. Al Ahli Tripoli’s head coach, Fouad Abou Chacra, credited strong management and standout players, particularly team captain Mohamed Abdourahman Sadi, for Libya’s basketball success. “My captain has played in Saudi Arabia and Libya, and he keeps making history for Al Ahli and the national team,” he said. 

Obadia Noel from APR, reflecting on their loss, stated, “It was our first time in the playoffs, so we now know what to expect moving forward. We made some mistakes as a team, but I’m still proud of us.” His coach, James Edward Maye Jr, remains optimistic about the future. Petro de Luanda’s assistant coach, Jorge Elorduy, emphasized the team’s winning mindset ahead of the championship match. “We are really happy with our performance. 

Winning is important, and we need to keep the same mentality going into the final,” he stated. Petro de Luanda is the only team in the playoffs with a South African player, which has given them an edge in terms of support from South African BAL fans. Meanwhile, Al Ittihad’s representative, Majok Machar Deng, commented on their learning curve going into the third-place match on Friday againts Rwanda's APR. “I give credit to Rwanda, they are a great team and played well. Unfortunately, we had one of our worst games at the wrong time, but every win or loss is part of the journey,” he said. 

With the BAL Season 5 Final fast approaching, the battle between Petro de Luanda and Al Ahli Tripoli will determine the next champion.