Africa-Press – Angola. Despite failing to achieve the primary objective, which was to win the trophy of the second edition of the Basketball African League (BAL), the Petro de Luanda team managed to improve the third place of the last edition, after losing the final, on Saturday, by 72-83. , against US Monastir of Tunisia.
After failing in the experimental edition of the aforementioned competition, which for the second consecutive year took place on Rwandan soil, the national champions fell again to the dismay of the tricolor nation, which dreamed of winning the continental ring.
In fact, the excellent performances of the oil workers, both in the qualifying tournament and in the final stage of the competition, made one believe that they would lift the title for the first time.
The victories obtained against AS Sportive Salé from Morocco and FAP from Cameroon, by 102-89 and 88-74, in challenges referring to the quarter-finals and semi-finals, raised the confidence levels of the oil team.
In front of US Monastir of Tunisia, the finalist won in the first edition, José Neto’s men were unable to neutralize the offensive actions of the Tunisians, who showed discernment in the crucial moments of the dispute.
The scouting done by coach Perisic ended up canceling some units of the Angolan ambassador, which until then, made a big difference, namely Childe Dundão, Aboubakar Gakou, Olímpio Cipriano in addition to Jone Lopes Pedro, who on the day of the grand final “erased” 32 candles.
At Petro de Luanda, only three players reached the double digits, namely Gerson Gonçalves “Lukeny, with 28 points, Yanick Moreira (18) and Carlos Morais who managed to score 12 points.
The tricolors ended the competition with 262 points scored, which represents an average of 87.3 points per match, numbers that, however, were far from those produced at the domestic level, where the average was 110 points.
The tricolor team suffered 246 points, thus obtaining 82 points.
The oil team was far from the numbers produced in the recently completed Unitel Basket, both in offensive and defensive terms.
Gerson “Lukeny” Gonçalves, with 55 points scored, was the best scorer of the second edition of the BAL.Carlos Morais, with 45 points, was the second scorer.
Meanwhile, José Neto, main commander of the Eixo Viário team, considered that the brave boys gave their best in the race.
“I would like to congratulate my players for the brilliant campaign that we have made, despite having failed the great objective, which was to win the trophy. We leave here, with the certainty that the next participation will be better than this one”, predicted the Brazilian coach.
The national champions return to the country today, Monday, from Kigali, where they participated in the BAL finals, from the 18th to the 28th of this month.
Anderson Correia Was The Least Used Foreigner
Cape Verdean international Anderson Correia, winger hired to reinforce Petro de Luanda’s team in the second edition of the Basketball African League (BAL), was the least used among foreign athletes.
Against Association Sportive de Salé de Morocco, in which the national champions outflanked the opposition, by an expressive 102-89, the Cape Verdean player played for just 32 seconds.
In the other two matches, referring to the semi-finals and final, respectively, the winger did not leave the bench.
The American, Elbert Matthews, winger, who landed in the country’s capital, Luanda, after the end of Unitel Basket, totaled 55 minutes and 55 seconds.
The North American base winger scored just seven points, in the match against AS Salé of Morocco.
The young Ângelo Alexandre, from the B team, was not used, thus failing to make his debut in the competition.
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