Randall and Ballo crush Al Ahly’s dream in ruthless Semi-Final display

The stakes could hardly have been higher. One mistake, one missed rebound or one defensive lapse carried the potential to derail an entire season as Al Ahly SC and RSSB Tigers collided in the opening semifinal of the Basketball Africa League 2026 playoffs.

Al Ahly arrived carrying the weight of history. The Egyptian powerhouse lifted the BAL trophy in 2023 and had already established itself among Africa’s elite long before the league’s creation, winning the FIBA Africa Champions Cup in 2016.

Across from them stood a team whose presence in the tournament itself once appeared uncertain.

RSSB Tigers only entered the BAL weeks before the start of the season after replacing fellow Rwandan side APR. Now, after months of growth and increasingly convincing performances, the Tigers are heading to the BAL Final following a hard-fought 106-97 victory over the former champions.

The opening quarter reflected the tension surrounding the occasion.

Both teams struggled offensively early, trading defensive stops and contested possessions as Al Ahly edged ahead 15-12 after the first ten minutes behind disciplined perimeter execution and controlled half-court offense.

But the game shifted dramatically in the second quarter.

RSSB increased its physicality around the basket and began overwhelming Al Ahly on second-effort plays. Offensive rebounds became momentum-changing possessions, while repeated attacks at the rim steadily tilted the game toward the Rwandan side.

By halftime, the Tigers had overturned the deficit to take a narrow 36-35 lead.

That interior dominance would become the defining factor of the semifinal. RSSB finished with 21 offensive rebounds compared to Al Ahly’s 10, generating a massive 25-9 advantage in second-chance points. The Tigers also relentlessly attacked contact, earning 44 free-throw attempts against Al Ahly’s 20.

Oumar Ballo embodied that physical superiority with a towering performance of 20 points and 17 rebounds while converting 9 of his 10 field-goal attempts.

After the victory, Ballo emphasized both experience and collective effort.

“I’ve been to many finals in my career. I know what it takes to get there,” he said. “But the credit also goes to my teammates. I’m so grateful to come here and play in The BAL.”

Alongside him, Leonard Craig Randall II once again proved decisive offensively, finishing with 30 points and 5 assists in another elite playoff display.

Randall continues to cement his place among the tournament’s most explosive scorers. Earlier in the season, he erupted for 54 points against Dar City — still the highest-scoring individual performance of the 2026 BAL campaign — before adding 43 points in the quarterfinals against FUS Rabat.

Al Ahly repeatedly attempted to regain control through Zachary Matthew Lofton, who produced a game-high 36 points alongside 5 assists. Kevin Murphy added 24 points while Nuni Omot contributed 16 points and 7 rebounds.

Midway through the third quarter, RSSB appeared to be pulling away after opening an eight-point cushion. Yet Al Ahly responded with urgency, trimming the deficit to a single point at 74-73 with 1:44 remaining in the period.

The semifinal suddenly became tense again. But RSSB answered every surge.

Antino Jackson Jr. stabilized possession with 13 points and 7 assists, while Teafale Lenard Jr. added 19 points and 7 rebounds, consistently attacking downhill and converting seven of eight free throws.

The Tigers entered the fourth quarter ahead 80-76 and maintained control through discipline and relentless rebounding pressure. With just over two minutes remaining, RSSB had stretched the margin back to 11 points, effectively neutralizing Al Ahly’s final comeback attempt.

After the game, RSSB head coach Henry Mwinuka reflected on the magnitude of the achievement.

“I’m so happy to head the first Rwandan team to make it to the BAL Final,” he said. “The support we received in the arena is tremendous. Hopefully we can become the first team to win The BAL.”

On the opposite side, disappointment was visible throughout the Al Ahly camp.

“We’re devastated. We were aiming for the final,” admitted guard Ehab Amin. “We had a game plan and we found it hard to execute throughout most of the game.”

Al Ahly coach Pantelis Gavriel also pointed toward the statistical imbalance that shaped the contest.

“Looking back, these 21 offensive rebounds they grabbed hurt us,” he said. “But these 44 free throws definitely killed us.”

For RSSB Tigers, however, the numbers now matter less than the destination: a historic first BAL Final achieved through resilience, physicality and another dominant postseason performance.

[Photography/Imagery: Bakadal Media, Julien Bascot]

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