APR BBC banked on a strong third quarter to beat the Patriots 70-63 and go two up in the BetPawa Playoffs semifinals. Demarcus Holland, Ntore Habimana, Axel Mpoyo, and William Robeyns delivered noteworthy contributions to the team’s comeback from a 17-point deficit to victory.
The Rwanda Basketball League Playoffs, rebranded after the tournament’s sponsor BetPawa, are drawing all of the limelight in Kigali. The semifinals between the Patriots and APR look to be a compelling and closely contested series to watch, with APR currently holding the upper hand after their impressive performance in Game 2.
Following a loss in Game 1, the Patriots were in control for much of the game on Friday night and seemed to be in position to win. However, precipitation put them in early foul trouble, costing them the third and fourth quarters as well as the game.
Unlike in Game 1, Mwinuka started with Majok, leaving Gray on the sideline, rather than both of them at the same time, which helped offensively through transition offense.
The Henry Mwinuka-coached team got out to a fast start, overpowering APR in every aspect of the game, winning the first quarter 20-12, and continued to dominate in the second quarter, building a 17-point lead in 1:53′ until Maz Trakh’s APR tallied 7 consecutive points to end the half with the Patriots leading 37-27.
At the moment, the cumulative number of fouls on Henry Mwinuka’s side had already begun to escalate.
Dieudonné Ndizeye had already racked up three personal fouls, including an unsportsmanlike foul, by the start of the third quarter. Kendall Gray and Roebuck Junior each got three fouls too. Mwinuka had no option other than to alter his squad at the time.
On the other side, APR was flying, taking advantage of Patriot’s rotations. They scored 21 points while holding the Patriots to 9 points, allowing them to get back into the game.
In the last period, the Patriots didn’t handle their frustrations at all, as they were dissatisfied with the officials’ decisions. They committed a slew of fouls, Gray and Ndizeye fouled out, and Kenneth and Junior were also in foul trouble, making it impossible for them to return into the game. As a result, they lost the second game of the BetPawa Playoffs semifinal series in a row.
Demarcus Holland led APR with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Ntore Habimana nearly had a double-double as well, finishing with 13 points, and 9 rebounds While William Robeyns contributed 16 points off the bench in the triumph.
The Patriots’ star player, Steven Hagumintwari, had a remarkable effort, leading the team with 20 points and 7 rebounds off the bench.
The best-of-five BetPawa semi-final series currently stands at 2-0 in favour of APR, one more win will qualify them for this year’s BetPawa Playoffs and break REG-Patriots’ supremacy in the city.
The stakes are high for APR to face REG in the finals since REG seized a 2-0 lead over Espoir BBC.
Game 3 of the BetPawa series is set for Sunday in BK Arena.
