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 pic.twitter.com/CoP6sccIMW
— 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 pic.twitter.com/yd3lhVwD9W
— 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 pic.twitter.com/dU6pe59WTD
— 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.
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