Libyan giants Al Ahli Tripoli defeated Rwanda’s APR BBC for the third time this season, eliminating them in the semifinals and crushing their dream of winning the Basketball Africa League (BAL) in season 5.
Al Ahli secured an 84–71 victory in the first BAL semifinal held on June 11 at SunBet Arena in Pretoria.
The Rwandan army team came into the game seeking revenge after two regular-season losses to the Libyan champions and hoping to become the first Rwandan team to reach a BAL final.
However, head coach Fouad Abou Chacra’s side seemed to have thoroughly analyzed APR’s playing style, deploying a tight defensive strategy that stifled APR’s offense.
Despite trailing 17–18 after the first quarter, Al Ahli tightened their defense in the second, limiting APR to just 11 points—a postseason low—taking a 36–29 lead into halftime.
Coach James Maye’s APR team responded in the third quarter with renewed energy, managing to overturn the deficit and enter the final quarter with a slim 57–55 lead. But just like in the second period, Al Ahli dominated the final quarter, extinguishing APR’s hopes of advancing to the championship game.
The Libyan side closed out the game with a commanding 84–71 win, showcasing superiority across almost every statistical category. Although APR had a slightly better field goal percentage (48% to Al Ahli’s 46%), the Libyans were lethal from behind the arc, hitting 12 of 29 three-point attempts compared to APR’s 4 of 18.
Al Ahli’s strong perimeter defense limited APR’s shot attempts, while they also dominated in rebounds, assists, steals, points in the paint, points off turnovers, and bench contributions.
Forward Fabian Christopher White Jr. led all scorers with 23 points on 9-of-15 shooting while playing the full 40 minutes. APR’s standout performer was Anunwa “Nuni” Omot, who finished with 22 points.
This marks APR’s third loss to Al Ahli Tripoli this season, following two defeats during the Nile Conference games in Kigali.
In the second semifinal, defending champions Petro de Luanda outclassed Al Ittihad 96–74 to reach their second consecutive BAL final.
The final is scheduled for Saturday, June 14, at 4 PM (Pretoria time), while the bronze medal game will feature APR versus Al Ittihad on Friday, June 13, at 7 PM, both at SunBet Arena.
