Unbeaten Al Ahli Tripoli Crush MBB to Complete Historic 6-0 Nile Conference BAL Run in Kigali

Unbeaten Al Ahli Tripoli Crush MBB to Complete Historic 6-0 Nile Conference BAL Run in Kigali

Libyan champions Al Ahli Tripoli became the first team to win a Road to BAL season undefeated. With an overall record of 6-0 in the Nile Conference, there is no question that the Elite 16 West Division's show in the qualifiers was no fluke. 

Tripoli were head and shoulders above all their opponents in Kigali, where the Conference matches were played, completing their haul with a 102-73 show against South Africa's MBB for their fourth century plus victory. Jaylen Adams, one of the North African side's standout players, led the charge against Sam Vincent's MBB, scoring 28 points, ten more than the second-best scorer of the day, Assem Marei, who was playing his second game in Kigali after arriving on Saturday. 
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Marei, who signed with Changwon LG Sakers of the Korean Basketball League (KBL) in 2021, had just helped her side to win the 2024/25 KBL season championship, the first title in the team's 28-year history. He completed his standout performance with 10 rebounds to bag a double-double, providing four assists for a game-high 28 in efficiency rating. Jean Jacques Boissy, who has been unplayable all competition, came off the bench to score 17 points, the fewest in all six matches, and add 5 rebounds in just under 25 minutes. 

"Credit to the entire team for the effort we put into our defense and offense and to the coaching staff for believing in us as a team and in what we could do. I was nervous at first when I got the chance to play but I knew I had to give my best and I delivered," offered Emmanuel Onoja who got just over four minutes of playing time in the clash. 

Adams and Wajdi Dawo got action off with layups for 4-0, but David Craig's hook shot handed MBB the lead at 6-4 after back-to-back baskets from Teafale Lenard Jr. Jovan Mooring and Pieter Prinsloo shot from range to give the South African side  12-7 lead halfway through the quarter. 

Tripoli fought back to level the score at 16, but Naseim Badrush reclaimed the lead at 17-16 off the free throw line, and there was no stopping them now. They went on to lead 23-16. 

The second quarter was closely contested, but the eventual winner maintained their lead, going 30-21 ahead four minutes into the second stanza. Two minutes later, MBB had cut the deficit to three at 30-27, the closest they would ever be for the remainder of the match. A 19-18 show saw Fouad About Chacra's charges head to the halftime break, leading 42-34. 

Tripoli picked up where they left off in the third quarter, going on a 16-2 run in the opening four minutes of the half to lead 22, almost instantly putting the game out of MBB's reach. 11 more points for the North Africans, while restricting the opponent to 14 saw the match head to the final quarter with the scores at 69-48. 

A 33-25 final quarter show for Chacra's charges ensured they not only dominated but picked yet another 100+ victory. 

"When we stick to our brand of basketball we can go up against any team here. But when up against good teams one can't have any lapses and that's something we will have to work on," offered Prinsloo after MBB's loss. 

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[Photography Courtesy of The BAL]