APR Basketball Club erase a 16-point deficit to come back and beat Espoir BBC 84-75 at Club Rafiki. A much-needed victory before they take on IPRC Musanze and Patriots.
After falling behind 33-20 in the first quarter, Cliff Owuor’s APR made some adjustments and fought back in the second quarter to cut the Espoir’s rhythm, going into the break trailing by eleven. 54-43.
Army side, APR started off the third quarter with their best offensive players in Philippe, William, Armel, Steven, and Balaban on the court. The latter, 2.13 m, a Serbian centre used his size and height to attack the rim as Espoir’s Musinga’s spirit was beginning to dwindle.
With 4 minutes left in the third quarter, Robeyns William and Philippe Kubanatubane hit back-to-back threes to cut the deficit and took the lead. 58-60 in front of Club Rafiki crowd supporting their home team.
Rafiki crowd didn’t disappoint as they kept pushing Espoir. Eric Shyaka hit a difficult mid-range shot with 22 seconds left in the third to put the score level. 66 points apiece.
Enock Isezerano’s foul with 1 second left sent Thierry Munyeshuri to the line. He made only the first and ended the third quarter with 1 point lead. 67-66 in favor of Espoir BBC.
Kenyan tactician’s team come from the short break very strong, playing strong defence in the last quarter, leading to offensive points and taking the lead to win against a scrappy and tired Espoir team. FT: 84-75 as APR BBC win/loss ratio improves to 14-3.
APR’s Robeyns William scored the team-high 21 points, Balaban Darko dropped 19 points in this Wednesday’s win over Espoir, added 17 rebounds and shot 8-of-9 from the field. His first ever double-double performance in Rwanda Basketball League.
Armel Sangwe and Philippe Kubanatubane contributed 13 and 15 points respectively.
On the side of Espoir, Thierry Munyeshuri scored a game-high 26 points in the loss whilst Fabrice Muhoza aka Musinga had a double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds.
Speaking to Ground Sports after the game, APR BBC head Coach, Cliff Owuor appreciated the effort the team put in last night after falling far behind in the first quarter to come back and clinch the win against a highly-determined Espoir.
“We noticed these boys were running a lot and other than running, this was their home court. They shot the ball well…Almost all their attempts counted, everything they were putting up counted. So, we had to adjust to make sure that we force them to put the ball on the floor as in not to shot the ball in three, then in case they shot the ball, box out well,” Cliff Owuor said
He continued, ”we didn’t have to rush the ball because that was keeping them in tempo. We had to organize our game and just come in score 2 points if we got 2 points, 3 points if we have 3 points. And eventually, we overcame a deficit, took the lead and managed it well. We are grateful.”
Despite the win, the former champions had notable absentees with centres, Marius Ntwali and Arnaud Nkusi both injured, and Victoire Mutabaruka preparing for an exam.
In the next assignment, they take on RP-IPRC Musanze before facing the giant’s Patriots. However, the Kenyan gaffer expects to bring back his centres to prepare for the Patriots game accordingly as the latter added big man Kendall Gray to the roster.
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