PRETORIA, South Africa -- Libya's Al Ahli Tripoli became the first team to reach the Basketball Africa League 2025 final, beating Rwanda's APR 84-71 in a defensive semifinal on Wednesday, led by Fabian White's 23 points, 7 rebounds and 2 steals.
This is Al Ahli's first BAL, and they will meet either fellow north Africans Al Ittihad of Egypt, or Angola's Petro de Luanda in the final. Petro are the defending BAL champions, and the only team to reach the semifinals in all five editions of the BAL.
The game was not by any means an easy one. Nuni Omot continued his trend of growing game-by-game since joining APR ahead of the playoffs. He led their early efforts with 10 points in the first quarter alone and a substantial creative contribution as the Rwandan champions took an 18-17 lead.
As he often does, Jean-Jacques Boissy began to hit his stride in the second quarter and was instrumental in the Ahli Tripoli fightback along with Caleb Agada. The Libyan side went into half-time 36-29 ahead.
The early stages of the third quarter belonged entirely to APR as they rallied back and took a 47-40 lead. Omot continued to star, with Aliou Diarra, Chasson Randle, Youssou Ndoye and Ntore Habimana all making big shots.
Ahli Tripoli fought back again, with former Houston Cougars forward White Jr. key for them as he has been throughout the playoffs since replacing Deon Thompson on the roster. Fouad Abou Chacra's side levelled the score at 47-47. A free throw and then a three-pointer from Diarra then restored APR's advantage, before White Jr. responded with a layup at the other end and Jaylen Adams hit a three.
The shots were flying back and forth and that pattern continued until the end of the quarter, with APR leading 57-55 heading into Q4.
A slow start to the fourth quarter put APR on the back foot, with Ahli Tripoli taking a 69-61 lead. However, Randle's crucial three reduced the deficit to five points with just under four minutes remaining.
Ahli Tripoli responded with a three from Mohamed Sadi, as Assem Marei got the assist. However, APR refused to throw in the towel with Randle winning a foul off Adams and knocking down his two free throws.
With just over two minutes left, the game was still up for grabs. Agada's three left APR with a mountain to climb, but a technical foul handed James Maye's side a lifeline. Omot missed the ensuing free throw and APR could not gain momentum again, with Agada's layup taking the lead into double digits.
This time, APR could not stage a heroic fightback despite the support of many inside SunBet Arena. They will play the loser of Wednesday's second semi-final between Petro de Luanda and Al Ittihad in Friday's third-place playoff, with Ahli Tripoli having a chance to succeed where Libyan rivals Al Ahly Benghazi failed last year and triumphing in the Basketball Africa League final.
According to Agada, White's influence on Ahli Tripoli's win extended beyond basketball itself, as he said: "Fab was the one saying: 'Stop talking to the refs.' He had a great game vocally. Once we calmed down and listen to him [the game went Al Ahli's way.]"
Whoever they face in the final, Ahli Tripoli are likely to depend on White's influence as a leader both in terms of his example as a basketball player and his calming presence.