APR Basketball Club extended their unbeaten run in the Rwanda Basketball League (RBL) 2025 to 14 games with a gritty 69-62 victory over rivals REG BBC, completing a regular-season double over the former champions.
Powered by Aliou Diarra’s dominant performance — 18 points and 16 rebounds — APR tightened their grip on the top spot with a crucial win on Friday night at Petit Stade.
Edward James Maye’s APR side started slowly, allowing REG to take the first quarter 16-10. However, the defending champions bounced back strongly, dominating the second and third periods (20-8 and 17-11) to enter the final quarter with a commanding 12-point lead.
REG, led by Jean Jacques Boissy, mounted a late push in the fourth quarter. But frustrations over officiating boiled over as APR held firm, closing out the game despite REG outscoring them 27-22 in the final period.
The match ended in tension, with Boissy visibly frustrated and needing to be restrained by teammates as he attempted to confront crew chief Leslie Cherubin. The Senegalese point guard, who averages 21 points per game, finished with 18 points.
REG sorely missed the presence of injured star Cleveland Thomas in their efforts to halt APR’s momentum.
Prince Muhizi led REG with a team-high 20 points.
Diarra’s two-way dominance and Jordan McRae’s experience led APR past REG, preserving their perfect record and title favorite status.
Friday’s victory marked APR’s 16th consecutive win over REG across all competitions. The last time REG beat APR was on September 2, 2022, during Game 3 of the playoff semifinals at Stecol.
Only Prince Muhizi and Olivier Shyaka remain from that REG team, while APR’s William Robeyns and Ally Kazingufu Kubwimana are the lone holdovers from their squad.
Despite the loss, REG remains second in the standings with an 8-3 record, just ahead of Patriots (7-3) and Tigers (7-5), setting up a thrilling battle for playoff seeding.
