Petro de Luanda vs Al Ahly Ly - Who will win the 2024 BAL title game?

Al Ahly Ly, the only undefeated team in the ongoing BAL Playoffs, will be vying for their first-ever African title when they take on Petro de Luanda in the most important game of the 2024 BAL season on Saturday, June 1 at BK Arena in Kigali, Rwanda.
 
Unlike Petro de Luanda, who faced ups and downs to reach the Championship Game, Libyan champions Al Ahly Ly had a flawless postseason campaign, beating Cape Town Tigers (South Africa), then-reigning champions Al Ahly SC (Egypt) and Rivers Hoopers (Nigeria).

Petro de Luanda, on the other hand, opened their postseason campaign, with a heartbreaking 70-67 loss to US Monastir, but bounced back with wins over AS Douanes and Cape Town Tigers.
 
Al Ahly Ly and Petro de Luanda will face off for the first time in BAL history.

The Al Ahly Ly vs Petro de Luanda encounter will be BAL’s 144th game, dating back to the league’s inaugural season in 2021.
 
Can Petro de Luanda, a team that has played more BAL games (29) than any other team, stop the high-flying Al Ahly Ly who are making their BAL debut this season?
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Well, if statistics are anything to go by, then the Angolan champions may face an uphill task of trying to overcome a team that averaged 87 points per game in postseason while recording the best postseason field-goal shooting of 47% compared to Petro’s 37%.
 
The only similarity between Al Ahly Ly and Petro de Luanda is that both teams made it to the Championship Game after needing five extra minutes each to overcome their Semi-Final opponents.

Al Ahly Ly beat Rivers Hoopers 89-83 while Petro de Luanda edged out Cape Town Tigers 96-86 in a 45-minute match-up.
 
Although Petro de Luanda scored fewer points per game (76) than Al Ahly Ly (87) in the postseason, the 2022 BAL runners-up limited their postseason opponents to 74 points per game, that’s five points fewer than Al Ahly Ly.
 
This mouthwatering match-up will offer  some intriguing matchups also with league leading scorer Jo-Lual Acuil Jr. going up against Yanick Moreira and Gerson Lukeny facing off Kevin Murphy.
 
But Petro de Luanda’s bench has proven to be its secret weapon with Nicholas Faust, Markeith Cummings and Jone Pedro providing Sergio Valdeomillos’ team a huge lift off the bench.
 

If Petro de Luanda are unable to prevent Al Ahly Ly’s newest addition Robert Golden from hitting three-pointers, minimize Jo-Lual Acuil-Jr's dominance in the paint, and can’t neutralizing their former player Souleyman Diabate, the Angolan champions will be in trouble.
 
Interestingly, Diabate can become the only player with three BAL titles if he can help Al Ahly Ly beat his former employer.  
 
Michael Fakuade has won two BAL titles with Zamalek (2021) and Al Ahly SC (2023.)
 
Addressing the media, Al Ahly Ly head coach Ivan Jeremic - who can become the second Serbian – since Modrag Perisic – to win a BAL title, noted that his team is ready.
 
Jeremic said: “We are not playing at the level I like as a coach, but the club signed very good import players. They are like my sons, and they listen to me.”

If Al Ahly Ly win the 2024 BAL title they will become the first Libyan team to win any African trophy, but, if they don't, Petro will lift their second continental trophy since winning the 2015 FIBA Africa Champions Cup.