PRETORIA, South Africa -- The Basketball Africa League final saw Al Ahli Tripoli deny Petro de Luanda an historic back-to-back title, with the Libyan side outclassing the Angolan team 88-67 at the SunBet Arena on Saturday.
Last year, Petro had beaten another Libyan team - Al Ahly Benghazi - in a Kigali final. This time - the first occasion on which the final was played outside Rwanda - Ahli Tripoli were the better side almost, if not quite, from start to finish.
Petro took an early 11-7 lead in the first quarter against expectations, but Fabian White Jr. led Ahli Tripoli out of trouble and into a 27-19 lead by the end of the quarter. Jaylen Adams and Assem Marei were also instrumental early on.
Although home favourite South African guard Samkelo Cele saw limited time on the floor, Petro de Luanda cleaned up their shooting in the second quarter. Egyptian-American star Patrick Gardner was key for the 2024 champions - an important presence both from field goal shooting and off the glass.
Petro hung in the fight through the almost inevitable Jean-Jacques Boissy second quarter burst, but nonetheless trailed 43-38 at half-time.
The third quarter was mostly one-way traffic, particularly in the early stages. Marei and White Jr. continued to lead the way for Ahli Tripoli and Libyan star Mohamed Sadi contributed in no small measure with two clutch three-pointers during the course of the quarter, which he would later follow with another in the fourth. Heading into the final 10 minutes Ahli Tripoli led 66-54.
Cele opened the fourth quarter with his first two points of the game off the free-throw line. However, although he saw much of his action towards the end of the game, Fouad Abou Chacra's side succeeded at keeping him quiet and he finished with only two points, a steal and an assist in 11:04 on the floor.
If there was any doubt about the result, it was quelled midway through the fourth quarter as Ahli Tripoli stretched their lead into the 20s. The Angolan champions did their best to stay competitive, but could not pull off one final upset in a long series.
Petro's Solo Diabaté had hoped to become the first Petro player to win a third BAL championship, but instead had to settle for the Manute Bol Sportsmanship Award - nonetheless a significant endorsement of his strong locker room presence even in a season in which he has not quite been at the peak of his powers.
Armée Patriotique Rwandaise (APR) forward Aliou Diarra won the Dikembe Mutombo Defensive Player of the Year award, with the trophy presented by NBA legend Tracy McGrady.
Ultimately, however, the season belonged to Ahli Tripoli - who were good value for their championship with a phenomenal 9-1 season record. Libyan clubs have benefitted from investment that has seen them beat competitors to key players, such as Boissy - who won the league's Hakeem Olajuwon MVP award. Nobody can deny that Ahli Tripoli and BAL Coach of the Year Abou Chacra justified the backing they received.
Marei was the standout player of the evening with 22 points, 19 rebounds, three assists and two blocks. He proved Abou Chacra's judgement correct in allowing him to join the team late in Kigali for the Nile Conference following the end of his season in South Korea and miss the seeding game against Al Ittihad after spending extra time with his pregnant wife.
"Coach has been very generous with me. I was surprised. I told him I was really tired - I had been travelling to a lot of countries... He totally agreed and very generously rested me for the first game [in South Africa, a seeding game loss to Al Ittihad]. That was a turning point for me," said Marei - who will now return home with time to spare ahead of the birth of his child.
Meanwhile, local hero and team captain Sadi is proof that although Libyan basketball may not quite yet have the legacy of Angola, this could be the start of a bright future.