Africa-Press – Rwanda. APR Basketball Club has bowed out of Basketball Africa League (BAL) BAL 2025 after suffering a 71-84 defeat by Al Ahli Tripoli in the semi-finals of the playoffs on Wednesday, June 11 in Pretoria, South Africa.
This was the first time for the local powerhouse to make it to the semi-finals of the continental competition, having failed in its first attempt in 2024.
The game was fiercely contested as the two teams were always separated by slight margins.
South Sudanese star forward Nuni Omot continued his trend of growing game-by-game since joining APR for the playoffs. He led their early efforts with 10 points in the first quarter alone and great creative contribution as the Rwandan champions took an 18-17 lead.
As he often does, Al Ahli’s Jean-Jacques Boissy began to hit his stride in the second quarter and was instrumental in the team’si fightback along with Caleb Agada. The Libyan side went into half-time 36-29 ahead.
The early stages of the third quarter belonged entirely to APR as they rallied back and took a 47-40 lead. Omot continued to star, with Aliou Diarra, Chasson Randle , Youssou Ndoye and Ntore Habimana all making big shots.
Ahli Tripoli fought back again, with former Houston Cougars forward White Jr. key for them as he has been throughout the playoffs since replacing Deon Thompson on the roster.
Fouad Abou Chacra’s side levelled the score at 47-47. A free throw and then a three-pointer from Diarra restored APR’s advantage, before White Jr. responded with a layup at the other end and Jaylen Adam’s hit a three.
The shots were flying back and forth and that pattern continued until the end of the quarter, with APR leading 57-55 heading into Q4.
A slow start to the fourth quarter put APR on the back foot, with Ahli Tripoli taking a 69-61 lead. However, Randle’s crucial three reduced the deficit to five points with just under four minutes remaining.
Ahli Tripoli responded with a three from Mohamed Sadi, as Assem Marei got the assist. However, APR refused to throw in the towel with Randle winning a foul off Adams and knocking down his two free throws.
With just over two minutes left, the game was still up for grabs. Agada’s three left APR with a mountain to climb, but a technical foul handed James Maye’s side a lifeline.
Omot missed the ensuing free throw and APR could not gain momentum again, with Agada’s layup taking the lead into double digits.
This time, APR could not stage a heroic fightback despite the support of many inside SunBet Arena.
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