Game Report: Petro de Luanda clinched the 2024 BAL Championship with a thrilling 104-97 triumph over Al Ahly Ly. In an electrifying final, Petro de Luanda outpaced Al Ahly Ly with standout performances and strategic plays from Nicholas Faust and Lukeny Gonçalves. This win marks a significant achievement for the Angola-based club as they celebrate their championship title in style.
Last Updated on
June 3, 2024
Fanya Nkengasong
Staff Writer
It's the Big Day! It's Saturday, June 1, 2024, and the final of the Basketball Africa League Season 4 at the Kigali Arena in Kigali, Rwanda. Between the Road to BAL qualifiers and the finals, three months of intense battles have been between African champion clubs.
This year's final pits the Angolan club Petro de Luanda, Season 2 runners-up, against a newcomer to the competition, the Libyan club Al Ahly Benghazi. Although they may be new to the BAL, they're composed of experienced players such as the Ivorian Solo Diabaté, playing in his third final after winning the 2021 final with Zamalek and the 2022 final with Monastir.
Can he make it three? Always present as the sixth man, the Ivorian is a master of strategy, used to coming on around five minutes after the start of the game. "It's to let my opponents get tired and come in and finish them off," he says with a mischievous grin. Solo Diabaté's entry always means twelve to fifteen points and a few assists, a testament to his tactical prowess.
Petro leant heavily on Dundao's speed in attacking transitions and, above all, on Faust's outside shooting. Finally, we'll have to pay particular attention to Lukeny, the left-hander who is the team's true creative force. Meanwhile, Yannick Moreira scored his team's first four points. However, the two teams competed and cancelled each other out in the first quarter. More aggressive in defence, the Angolans took a two-point lead at the end of the first quarter (26-24).
Golden then led a revolt, and in the space of a few minutes, with 11 points, eight from Diabaté and 12 from Deng, the Libyan club overcame their deficit and led by ten points with two minutes to go before the break (45-35). At the break, the score was 52-40 in favour of Al Ahly. Stung to the core, the Angolans came back with different intentions. With three minutes remaining in the third quarter, they were soon back on level terms, taking a one-point lead (68-67).
This time, Petro did the talking. The two teams never let up, and by the end of the third quarter, they were level (75-75). With half of the points (32) scored by the Angolan champions' bench, compared with 21 for the Libyan bench, the question arises about how physically fresh Al Ahly will be, given that coach Ivan Jermic is known to be skittish when it comes to in-game rotations.
There were more ties in the final quarter (81-81, 84-84), and the game was becoming increasingly indecisive. But the Libyan players were tired, and the Angolans took advantage to take an eight-point lead (94-86) and then a thirteen-point lead with just a minute and a half left to play. At that point, Petro de Luanda was all on ice against a team that no longer defended.
After four years of hard-fought battles, Petro de Luanda emerged as the victor of the Season 4 Cup. The final score was 107-94, a testament to their skill and determination. It's a moment of celebration for the Angolan club and their fans.
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