(KIGALI) The Petro de Luanda team woke up on Sunday with that championship feeling. They will head home to Angola, knowing they are Africa’s number 1 club. After three frustrating years of consistently finishing in the top four in the BAL, winning the continental title at the fourth attempt, in Season 4 of the competition must be extra sweet for Petro.
The Os Tricolores secured a thrilling 107-94 victory over Al Ahly Benghazi, who made BAL history by becoming the first Road to BAL team to make it to the final.
Losing coach Ivan Jermic of Al Ahly praised his team’s effort and acknowledged Petro’s superior defence. “They played a really good game tonight (Saturday). We were in the game for the first three quarters but they played good defence. They pushed us away from the basket and gave themselves opportunities to score on fast breaks,” Jermic reflected. “My players gave the maximum but tonight Petro won.”
The Serbian acknowledged the significance of their journey, “For Al Ahly, this is a big deal. This is the first time they have played in this kind of competition. This is good quality basketball, the organization is really good. We are happy that this kind of competition exists. I believe Africa will be exciting in the next 20 years,” Jermic stated.
Standout performances from key players drove Petro’s victory. Nicholas Faust was exceptional, scoring 27 points, while Markeith Cummings added 20 points, demonstrating his leadership on and off the court. “I was one of the leaders in the locker room and our main thing was to always stay confident and together whether we are down 30 or 40. Just believe in each other and we showed it,” Cummings stated.
Reflecting on the depth of Petro’s roster, Cummings added, “Our bench – we have a lot of guys so we can go up to the ninth or tenth man in the rotation and I think they go up to four or five and that’s about it. So we used all our firepower.”
Petro’s captain, Carlos Morais, expressed his pride in the team’s achievement. “This means everything to us. We’ve been trying to get this trophy for four years. And to get it now, it means a lot not just for Petro but for Angolan basketball. Now we see hope at the end of the tunnel. Next year Angola is going to host the AfroBasket, so winning this trophy means a lot for everybody,” Morais shared.
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Reflecting on their journey and the impact of former coach Neto, he explained, “I’m never gonna compare coaches and philosophies, but I’m gonna take this moment to thank Coach Neto for everything he did for us because he is part of what just happened. He is part of the group that we have. He is the one who put everything together.”
Jo Acuil, who won the Defensive Player of the Year, the Scoring Title, and the Most Valuable Player awards, spoke about his mixed emotions.
“I think I am gonna need a couple of days to process the impact of what really just happened. Obviously, the emotions are still very raw after the loss. I lost in game 5 in Australia as well, so it has been disappointing and that is all I can think about now,” Acuil said. “As far as what I have won? They hold significance but I am naturally a winner, and very competitive so I would give away all three of these to get the main trophy because as much as anything, I know what it meant to me, what it would have meant for Libya but the people of South Sudan as well.”
Yanick Moreira emphasized the importance of teamwork and resilience in their victory. “I don’t know if you remember but last time I was here after we lost. And I have seen many faces who thought we were done. All we did was talk in the locker room because we knew we weren’t playing our basketball but when we started the third quarter – we made some stops and we kept running and that is how we won,” Moreira explained.
He also highlighted the significance of the win for Angola. “It means a lot for our country. We haven’t played great basketball – we have been coming for four years straight and many people were saying that Angolan basketball is done. So, we have done this for our country.”
As Petro de Luanda celebrates their hard-fought victory, they look forward to future challenges with renewed confidence and determination. The triumph marks a milestone for the team and the start of a new era for Angolan basketball.
