Saturday Final Al Ahli Tripoli 88-67 Petro de Luanda Al Ahli Tripoli beat Petro de Luanda 88-67 on Saturday, at SunBet Arena in Pretoria, South Africa, to win the 2025 Basketball Africa League (BAL) title. With the win, Al Ahli Tripoli became the first Libyan team to win the BAL. Petro de Luanda finished runners-up for the second time in BAL history. It’s also the first time that a conference winner, won the BAL and the first time that a BAL Coach of the Year led a team to the Championship title. Al Ahli Tripoli’s determination to make their mark on the BAL's history books was evident early on when Jaylen Adams opened the scoring with a three-pointer. Rigoberto Mendoza responded with a layup, and Cleusio Castro followed with another layup to give Petro their first lead, 4–3. However, what happened next was exactly what Al Ahli Tripoli displayed throughout their BAL journey, a complete dominance over opponents. Their remarkable began on their home court in Tripoli during the Road to the BAL qualifiers and culminated in the 2025 BAL title in Pretoria. As he did throughout the season, Boissy came off the bench and wrote the game’s narrative in his own terms. His first three-pointer sparked a 5-0 scoring run for a defining 22-17 lead. Even after Petro de Luanda called a timeout, Boissy and his teammates never let up. To remind everyone that they were well prepared, Al Ahli Tripoli alternated between a 2-3 zone defense and a full-court press, leaving the reigning champions looking helpless. By halftime, Al Ahli Tripoli led by five, 43–38. However, it was in the final quarter that they extended their dominance, leading by as many as 23 points with four minutes left. Assem Marei dominated Petro de Luanda, finishing with 22 points and 19 rebounds—his best performance in the 2025 BAL season. Fabian White Jr. added 18 points and nine rebounds, and Jaylen Adams orchestrated the new champions’ offense with 11 points and seven assists. Aboubacar Gakou, the newly crowned MVP of the Angolan League, led Petro de Luanda in scoring with 12 points off the bench. Patrick Gardner and Childe Dundao finished with 11 points apiece. In addition to his BAL MVP award, Jean Jacques Boissy won the season’s leading scorer award. He averaged 18.9 points across ten games.
