The chase for BAL Season 5 title down to four teams
.jpg)
Reading Time: 2min | Tue. 10.06.25. | 21:37
Petro de Luanda will view themselves as favorites, being the defending champions who have made five consecutive semifinals
The two finalists for the 2025 Basketball Africa League (BAL) will be confirmed on Wednesday, 11 June, when two big semi-finals take place at the SunBet Arena in Pretoria, South Africa.
On Monday, 9 June, four teams - APR, Al Ahli Tripoli, Petro de Luanda and Al Ittihad Alexandria got through their rounds of quarterfinals, capping what was an exciting day of African basketball.
Follow our WhatsApp channel for more news
APR became the second team from Rwanda to book its place in the last four thanks to a dominant 103-74 victory over Nigeria’s Rivers Hoopers.
Only Patriots BBC had ever represented Rwanda in the semifinals, and that was back in 2021.
🔥The quarter-finals of the BAL were an amazing experience! The semi-finals are shaping up to be even more thrilling! 🤩#BAL5 pic.twitter.com/zzJLhjEroS
— Basketball Africa League (@theBAL) June 10, 2025
Nuni Omot led the charge with 21 points, while Aliou Diarra contributed a double-double of 20 points and 10 rebounds.
APR shot an impressive 50% from beyond the arc and 62.5% from the field overall.
In the semifinals, they will come up against a red-hot Al Ahli Tripoli, who have only lost one game in the BAL this season.
The Libyan side, who handed Kenyan outift Nairobi City Thunder a record defeat on their way to a perfect 6-0 showing in the Nile Conference, demolished debutants Kriol Star from Cape Verde to edge closer to becoming the second Libyan team - since Al Ahly Lybia - to reach the BAL final for the second season in a row.
In the other semifinal, defending champions Petro de Luanda will look to retain their crown when they come up against Egypt’s Al Ittihad.
Petro, who impressed with a big 95–84 win over US Monastir on Monday, are making the semifinals for the fifth season in a row.
Kendrick Ray led all scorers with 20 points, while Yanick Moreira added 15 in their win over the Tunisian 2022 BAL Champions, and will be a big draw in the late tipoff.
"This Petro de Luanda team is a group of warriors, and everyone knows our goal for this BAL season,” Childe Dundao said on Wednesday.
“We can’t afford to get comfortable. We will keep fighting no matter the circumstances.”
On the matchup with last season’s Egyptian league champions, he added: “Al Ittihad is a very good team, but we have a goal to accomplish. We're taking it one game at a time.”
.jpg)
