Kristina Morgan King and Victoria Reynolds powered REG Women BBC’s 76-51 dominating victory over APR Women BBC on Sunday evening that gave REG a 2-0 lead in the Rwanda Basketball League Playoffs Finals.
The center Kristina Morgan King and forward Victoria Reynolds combined 48 points as the Rwanda Energy Group (REG) improved to 5-0 in the 2024 Rwanda Basketball League (RBL) Playoffs and gave themselves a chance to close out the fuming APR WBBC with wins on Wednesday and Friday.
Charles Mushumba’s frustrated team fell behind by 15 points in the first quarter, finishing at 11-26. This strong start enabled REG to build on their lead and left the army team with little chance to mount a comeback.
The 2023 RBL champions and league record title holders APR had to slow down the flying REG team in the second quarter; however, they struggled to organize their offense and hence scored again 11 points in the quarter.
Although they held REG to just 11 points, they still trailed by 15 points at the break. 22-37.
APR entered the third quarter with determination to cut the deficit. Led by Sifa Ineza, who scored 11 points—including three three-pointers—APR dominated the quarter 19-16 and fueled hopes for a strong comeback in the final period.
APR, the team that lost the first game on final possession, continued the momentum and trimmed the gap to 7 points by scoring 5 points in the first minute. However, Julian Martinez’s REG showed resilience, effectively stopping and neutralizing APR to control and dictate the game for good.
REG, the 2021 and 2022 league champions, outscored APR 23-10 in the final quarter, leaving APR with a tough challenge if they want to rebound in the series on Wednesday.
The defending champions, APR, had no answer for the electric REG duo of Kristina Morgan and Victoria Reynolds.
The game ended 76-51 behind strong individual performances from Kristina Morgan King, Victoria Reynolds, and Ange Nelly Irakoze.
Kristina Morgan King scored a game-high 25 points, grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds, and blocked 2 shots, also the most in the game.
Victoria Reynolds had an impressive offensive performance, shooting 9-13 FGs and a perfect 4-4 from the foul line to finish with 23 points. The Kenyan international also recorded 6 assists, 6 rebounds, and 5 steals in her 38 minutes on the court.
Ange Nelly Irakoze had a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds in the game. REG struggled with bench production, which contributed only 6 points.
On the losing side, Kemba Diakite scored 14 points, and Sifa Ineza added 11 points, all in the third quarter.
The teams will return on the court on Wednesday, October 9, for Game 3.
Will APR respond and stop REG’s winning streak, or will the best-of-seven series lean heavily in one direction?
All games are being held at Petit Stade.
Photos: Innocent SHEMA
