Petro de Luanda secured the 2024 Basketball Africa League (BAL) title with a 107-94 victory over Al Ahly Ly on Saturday at BK Arena in Kigali, Rwanda. This triumph marks Petro de Luanda’s first continental title since their 2015 FIBA Africa Champions Cup win.
Trailing 52-40 at halftime, the Angolan champions staged a remarkable comeback in the third quarter, ending Al Ahly Ly’s three-game winning streak in the postseason.
Nicholas Faust led Petro de Luanda with 24 points, while Markeith Cummings added 20 points and Cleusio Castro contributed 10 points off the bench. Jo-Lual Acuil Jr., who was named the 2024 BAL MVP, scored 15 points for Al Ahly Ly but could not steer his team to victory.
Petro de Luanda found themselves in an unusual situation, having allowed 50 points in the first half, but a crucial 11-0 run in the third quarter gave them a commanding lead. Their bench outperformed Al Ahly Ly’s bench, scoring 51-27, and their aggressive rebounding resulted in a 48-32 advantage.
“Everyone on the team knew that Cleusio would be the difference-maker in this game because of his hardworking attitude,” said Lukeny Goncalves, who scored 16 points, including nine from behind the arc. “He was really aggressive on both ends of the floor and managed to neutralize Jo-Lual Acuil Jr.”
Reflecting on their loss to AS Douanes in the 2023 BAL Semifinals, Goncalves emphasized that it was a learning experience.
“We came ready to fight. At halftime, we looked at each other and pledged that this was our turn to win the BAL trophy. When they showed signs of fatigue in the third quarter, we stepped up our aggressiveness even further. That’s how we won the game,” he said.
Petro de Luanda closed their 2024 BAL campaign with a 5-3 record, while Al Ahly finished with a 6-4 record. With this victory, Petro de Luanda will represent Africa at the next FIBA InterContinental Cup in Singapore in September.
