RSSB Tigers are your 2026 BAL champions

RSSB Tigers are your 2026 BAL champions

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Petro came out guns blazing. They could not step wrong if they tried. They followed instructions to the tee and stopped Randall from catching ball wide open. They sprung to a 20-0 run. During which, Abou Bacar Gakou scored 13 points, firing in all cylinders.

Craig Randall ended the run with a lay up to get Tigers on the board after a six-minute dry spell. This was the start of their 7-0 run. Dieudonné Ndizeye scored five quick points and got the crowd going. Petro managed to extend their lead, courtesy of a Moreira floater and a Putney three-pointer. However, Petro’s aggressive defense became Tigers’ advantage as they made multiple trips to the free throw line to make it 27-16 at the end of the first quarter. The wind was blowing in favor of Tigers and it was all the more difficult for Petro as they had some key players in foul trouble.

Gakou split the free throws to start the quarter while Craig Randall drained his first three-pointer of the game. It was so good that he did it again and cut the lead down to six. With the pressure on and the crowd I’m full support of Tigers, Gakou uncharacteristically split the free throws on two attempts. The game was now wide open. Mangok made two free throws as Tigers continued to chip away at the lead.

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Lenard Jr then scored on the drive to make it a four-point game. Chasson Randall then showed his NBA experience as he dropped à perfect three-pointer that hit nothing but the bottom of the net. Mangok could still not be stopped or contained as he continued to show his dominance in the paint with another lay up. Emotions were high and Coach Moreno had some words for the officials as he felt they were biased and that landed him a technical foul that Randall converted on their quest to cut the deficit.

Tigers went with two bigs to continue with their paint dominance. This proved valuable as Oumar Ballo got the offensive rebound and threw down a ferocious two-handed dunk. Milton Valente then showed his athleticism with a dunk for Petro. It was end-to-end entertainment as Axel Mpoyo drained a corner three with a dying shot clock to make it a one-point game. Randall gave Tigers their first lead with a three that was heavily contested. He  closed off the quarter with another three-pointer to give Tigers a 42-37 lead at the half. This was a quarter that Petro wanted to forget as they only scored 10 points compared to Tigers’ 26.

Petro was determined to fight back as Chasson Randall scored a pull up jumper in the corner to start the quarter. However, Tigers kept attacking the paint and landed Lenard Jr on the free throw line where he was perfect. Despite this, Petro managed to string together some valuable defensive possessions that led to Gakou dropping a three, a defensive stop and a fast break dunk by Castro to tie the game. However, the pendulum was still swinging and Lenard Jr hit a three for Tigers to momentarily pull away.

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Petro continued to struggle in the paint as Mangok secured another offensive rebound and kicked out to assist Habimana who drained another three pointer. Both teams then began trading baskets and the tempo of the game increased. Both teams were leaking defensively and Craig Randall was forced to foul Moreira on what would have been an open lay up. Moreira split the pair and this opened up an opportunity for Tigers to pull away as Mangok pulled off a meticulous Euro step and then followed it up with a two-handed dunk as Habimana split the defense with the assist.

Lukeny Gançalves then scored a three to stop the Tigers’ momentum. However, Mangok continued to be a menace in the paint as he scored another lay up. Lukeny then started to exploit the miss match and got a lay up before Gakou assisted Raphael Putney for a three to cut it to two points. With little to nothing separating the two teams, the quarter ended at 61-59 in favor of Tigers.

With the final quarter of the season and only two points separating the two sides, fans were in for a great quarter. Craig Randall expertly drew a foul on his three-point attempt then proceeded to score all three free throws. Lukeny who fouled Randall then atoned immediately by scoring a three before Dundao tied the game with a floater. Petro was in the driver’s seat now and regained the lead with a Lukeny lay up. Castro then stole the ball and then ended the possession with a thunderous dunk.

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Mangok then threw a precisely weighted pass to Ballo who threw it down with two hands. Petro was then handed an opportunity to extend their lead but Castro split the pair on the free throw line before Lukeny scored one of three on the free throw. Petro was only six points up but knew it could have been a nine-point game with the missed free throws. With the opening, Tigers capitalized as Jackson Jr drew the defense before dropping the dime to Ballo who flushed it down with two hands.

Craig Randall drew another foul on a three-point attempt, and as expected, he drained all three free throws to tie the game at 72 points apiece. The two Randalls then exchanged threes to keep the game at 75-75. Mangok connected with Ballo perfectly again for an alleyoop dunk before Craig Randall dropped another three-pointer to give Tigers a five-point lead. Dundao continued to push his side forward and drew a foul on Jackson Jr but could only convert one of the two free throws. Jackson Jr then sped down the court and scored a lay up to keep the game at two possessions.

Gakou then scored two free throws to cut the deficit but it was quickly erased as Ballo drew a foul on Putney and scored both free throws. With two minutes left on the clock, Chasson Randall drew a foul on Jackson Jr, his fifth and subsequent exclusion from the game, scored two free throws to make it 84-80. However, Habimana then scored a corner three to make it 87-80 with a little over a minute to go. In a tussle under the basket, Gakou stole the ball and assisted Chasson Randle for a floater as they continued to chip away at the lead and made it 87-82.

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The final minute of the game was the most eventful. Tigers could feel the championship but couldn’t quite grab it yet. Putney fouled Ballo on a loose ball as he was trying to stop the alleyoop and Ballo only scored one of the two free throws with inly 32 seconds left. Chasson Randall shot a three, missed it, Lukeny collected the rebound, kicked it out to Gakou who faked the shot, saw his defender fly by and then dropped a three to make it 88-85 with 19 seconds left

Lenard Jr then got fouled where he drained both free throws. Tigers, now more relaxed, watched Dundao dash to the basket and score a lay up and make it 90-87. Gakou then fouled Habimana and subsequently got excluded as it as his fifth foul. With five seconds left, up three points and an opportunity to make it a five point game, Habimana missed both free throws and Petro secured the rebound but Craig Randall strategically fouled Lukeny. Lukeny made the first free throw, purposely missed the second, Dundao collected the rebound but missed the put-back. This was their last ditched effort but was unsuccessful. The final buzzer sounded and RSSB Tigers breathed a sigh of relief before the celebrations started.

Tigers won 90-88 and became the first Rwandan side to win. Gakou’s valiant effort and 28 points were not enough to take his team over the edge as Craig Randall continued to show his scoring prowess with 33 points in the finals and a BAL ring to go with it.

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