The Basketball Africa League (BAL) final stage is set, and South African Samkelo Cele will be aiming to help his side, Petro de Luanda, defend their title against Al Ahli Tripoli on home soil.
The two sides will meet on the court in the final at the SunBet Arena in Pretoria on Saturday. The game will get underway at 4pm.
De Luanda and Ahli Tripoli secured places in the BAL final after successfully defeating their opponents, Al Ittihad and Rwanda’s APR, respectively, during the semifinals on Wednesday night.
Petro cruised to a 96–74 win over Al Ittihad in the second semifinal, with Cele contributing 10 points and two assists in front of a boisterous home crowd.
Coach happy with team performance
“Petro has given me a little bit more motivation because of the love that I receive over there, so I just want to give it back by helping them win,” Cele said ahead of the tournament.
After the match and commanding display against Ittihad, assistant coach Jorge Elorduy said: “We are happy with how we played against Al Ittihad because we understood the importance of doing well in order for us to get closer to our goal of defending our title.
“All we need to do now is continue with the same performance and attitude for the final. This game is now done, and we are looking forward to the final on Saturday.”
Petro will once again represent the southern African region in the final, and forward Patrick Gardner expressed the importance of having the home crowd behind them since the start of the playoffs.
Petro fans play crucial role
“We feed off the energy of the crowd … the Petro fans here at home and around the world. So, we want to do our best to make them proud every time we step onto the court,” Gardner said.
Cele, one of the key players for Petro, will bring his US and European experience into the final.
After impressing with the Cape Town Tigers in the BAL last season, the former Durban High School prodigy was given a golden opportunity to play for the NBA side New York Knicks in last year’s Summer League.
The 27-year-old scored 11 points in his only appearance during their win over the Atlanta Hawks.
