APR FC advances to 2023 CAF Champions League second round | Photo: IGIHE
APR FC, Rwanda’s representative in the 2023 CAF Champions League,have advanced to the second round of the competition after a 2-0 win over Gaadiidka in the preliminary round second leg on Wednesday at Kigali Pelé Stadium.
Apam Assongwe broke the deadlock nine minutes after the interval before Gilbert Mugisha came off the bench to convert a well-taken cross from Ombolenga Fitina in the dying minutes and secure a victory for the Army side.
APR FC advances 3-1 on aggregate and will face the Pyramids of Egypt.
The 2022/2023 RPL champion will play the first leg at home on the weekend of September 15-17, with the second leg taking place on the weekend of September 29 to October 1st.
Should APR manage to sneak past Pyramids, They will have achieved a long-held ambition of reaching the CAF Champions League group stage.
APR's Nshobozwa drives to the Basket | Photo: Innocent SHEMA
APR Basketball Clubtook a 1-0 lead against the Patriots with a 69-59 winin the first round of playoffs (semi-finals).
KIGALI, August 23, Jean Jacques Wilson Nshobozwabyosenumukiza dropped 20 points, Ntore Habimana posted a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds to lead the APR Lions seal their first victory in 2023 Rwanda Basketball League Postseason rebranded as BetPawa Playoffs.
Prior to the game, APR head coach Maz Trakh had to make an essential call in selecting two foreigners that would appear on the game roster. He chose De Marcus Holland and Bush Wamukota over Congolese international Rolly Fula.
On the Patriots’ side, as predicted, Michael Andre Dixon was sidelined due to injury, and Roebuck Jr G Vashon took over in his place, however Mike’s absence was felt.
Heny Mwinuka’s Patriots lacked a leader who could distribute the ball, link the other players, and engage the entire team in the offensive. Thus, they lost the game 69-59 (22-19, 7-19, 14-18, and 16-13)
As a team, the Patriots shot 33 percent from the field and 25 percent from behind the three-point line. Roebuck Jr scored a team-high 13 points while Kenneth Gasana and Ater Majok contributed 12 points apiece.
The two teams meet again at BK Arena for Game 2 on Friday.
REG BBC beat Espoir BBC 85-79 in 1st game of series
In the second semifinal, the reigning champions got off to a brilliant start, taking a 1-0 lead against the Nyamirambo-based team.
Adonis Filer led the electricians with 31 points while Pascal Niyonkuru scored 24 points. For the losing side, Olivier Turatsinze scored 27 points, Heritier Irumva had 16 points.
As the BetPawa Playoffs heat up, all eyes are on the Patriots BC and APR BBC, preparing to tip off the best-of-five series of the Rwanda Basketball League semifinals on Wednesday, August 23, at BK Arena.
KIGALI, August 23, Basketball fans will be treated to yet another spectacular round of basketball action to kick off the postseason series that will determine the 2023 Rwanda Basketball League champion.
This series appears to be carrying on the vibes of the most thrilling regular season we’ve seen, as the battle had to go down to the wire. REG’s Adonis Filer hit a game-winning buzzer-beater against the Patriots in the last regular-season game, determining the seeding for the playoffs.
From that shot that defined the postseason matchups, The long-awaited clash between the former Champions Patriots and APR sprang in what is deemed final before final.
Patriots vs. APR seems to be too close to call, with each side rightly confident in its potential to win. The No. 2-seeded Patriots are spearheaded once again by their big men, Ater Majok and Kendall Gray, as well as forwards Jean-Victor Mukama and Dieudonné Ndizeye Ndayisaba.
While the Army squad will counter with its best guards, Robeyns William, Wilson Nshobozwabyosenumukiza, Ntore Habimana, and Demarcus Holland.
With Patriots’ Michael Andre Dixon uncertain, Roebuck Junior is poised to take over. Mike sustained an injury at the tail end of the regular season against APR.
However, APR’s choice of foreigners will be crucial. One of Rolly Fula, De Marcus Holland, or Bush Wamukota has to be dropped since only two foreigners are permitted to play in a league game.
Against the Patriots in the regular season, APR head coach Maz Trakh chose to sideline Bush Wamukota, and the Patriots out-rebounded his team while scoring the most second-chance points in the game. Prince Ibeh was employed alone against Majok and Gray, which forced him into a foul trouble. As a result, they lost the game.
Even though the rosters haven’t altered much, there are substantial alterations from the previous season. The Patriots are presently coached by Henry Mwinuka, who won the previous two league titles with REG BBC and is possibly the most successful coach in the Rwanda Basketball League of this era, having won three titles with Patriots before joining REG and claiming two more. When it comes to the series, his expertise is unparalleled.
The Tanzania-born tactician Mwinuka will face an illustrious opponent in Maz Trakh, who has extensive NBA experience as an assistant coach with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Washington Wizards, and Detroit Pistons. In APR, he is assisted by Cliff Owuor and Aimée Karim Nkusi.
You can confidently state that the Patriots-APR series will be the most exquisite not just in the 2023 season but also the greatest the league has ever had based on their coaching profiles and the investment the teams have made thus far.
The Patriots’ roster will include American Michael Andre Dixon, the 2022 BAL MVP and Georgia International. He is paired up with Ater James Majok, a former colleague from US Monastir.
Majok, the BAL defensive player of the year in 2022, was drafted in 2011 by the Los Angeles Lakers. His tandem with Kendall Gray forms a strong wall, playing elite defence and, most importantly, grabbing rebounds like no one else, making it easy for their forwards Dieudonné Ndizeye and Jean-Victor Mukama (Canadian International) to hit threes whenever they want while being allowed to play an easy pick and roll game.
Patriots BC
Patriots bank on their sixth man, Steven Hagumintwari, who can impact the game in all facets of basketball. Hagumintwari can defend, take long-range shoots, and drive into the paint, but his main strength is making crucial plays. Aristide Mugabe and Kenneth Gasana are also on the team.
Maz Trakh’s APR will be reliant on American guard Demarcus Holland, Congolese International Rolly Fula, a Rwandan-British big man Prince Ibeh, Rwandan-Belgian Robeyns William, Kenyan Bush Wamukota, Rwandan-Canadian Ntore Habimana, Nshobozwabyosenumukiza, and last season’s MVP, Axel Mpoyo
APR BBC
With these rosters and the fact that both teams finished the regular season on the same record (19-3), basketball fans are in for a treat. All five possible games will be played at BK Arena.
The second game will be held on Friday, August 25.
In another semifinal, the reigning champions REG BBC face Espoir BBC.
Rwanda’s women’s volleyball team rallied from two sets down to overcome Algeria in a five-set thriller, progressing to the semi-finals of the Women’s African Nations Championship for the first time.
August 22, in Yaoundé Multipurpose Sports Complex, Rwanda’s quarter-final match against Algeria began sloppily, ceding the first two sets (23-25, 15-25), but battled hard and won the next sets to force a tie break.
After dropping the first two sets, Benitha Mukandayisenga and her teammates showed character in the third set and fought for their country’s pride, not just to escape a three-set sweep, but to give it all and fight until the last breath.
With the help of the crowd, Rwanda took a set with a score of 25-18, which fueled them to keep the momentum going and win the fourth set with a score of 25-23, forcing the Algerians to a deciding set.
The fifth set belonged to the Rwanda who jumped out to a 12-7 lead before the Algerians closed the gap and tied the set at 14-all. But Albertine Uwiringiyimana and Valentine Munezero sealed the game with back-to-back points to make it 16-14.
Valentine Munezero, Rwanda’s team captain, was named the MVP for this match. | Courtesy Photo
The Brazilian Paulo De Tarso Milagres should be credited for this performance, besides the tournament in general, for trusting the young females ahead of the competition and dropping the experienced ones like Seraphine Mukantambara, Yvette Igihozo, Ernestine Akimana, and others.
Rwanda has made it to the semifinals for the first time in history, featuring local players from APR VC, RRA, Police, and Ruhango.
They will face Egypt in the semi-finals on Wednesday, August 23 at 5:00 p.m. at the Yaoundé Multipurpose Sports Complex.
Rwanda’s women’s national volleyball team trounced Uganda handily, extending their winning run in the CAVB Women’s African Nations Volleyball Championship to three matches.
Yaoundé, Aug. 19, Rwanda’s women’s volleyball team routed Uganda in straight sets 25-20, 25-17, 25-21 in their fourth match of the 2023 Women’s African Nations Championship
Rwanda got off to a poor start, losing 3-0 against Kenya in the group B opener on Wednesday, August 16, 2023.
Later on, the Paulo De Tarso-coached team comfortably defeated Lesotho and Burkina Faso 3-0. Today’s success convinced them that if they beat Morocco tomorrow, they would finish second in Group B, ensuring they would take on the third-place finisher in Group A in the quarterfinals.
Group B is comprised of Cameroon, the hosts and defending champions, Algeria, Egypt, Burundi, Mali, and Nigeria
Tomorrow, Nigeria and Algeria will compete for third place in this group while Egypt and Cameroon appear more at ease in the top two spots.
At the Palais Polyvalent des Sports de Yaoundé, Rwanda will take on Morocco at 12:00 CAT on Sunday.
Rayon Sports Charles Bbaale | Photo Credit: Rayon Sports FC
Rayon Sports kicked off the 2023/24 Rwandan Premier League season on Friday 18 August with a 2-1 win over Gasogi United at the Kigali Pele Stadium.
Charles Bbaale struck once more as Rayon Sports downed Gasogi United 2-1 to kick off the 2023/24 Rwandan Premier League season on a flying start
August 18, A week after a significant triumph over their rivals in a Super Cup, Rayon Sports pinned Gasogi from the very first whistle to dominate the entire match. Ugandan forward Charles Bbaale scored in consecutive games, earning him special praise from Gikundiro fans
Seven minutes after the kickoff, Bbaale attempted a header from Ojera’s cross but missed the target. However, it wasn’t long until Bbaale began to tease Gasogi’s defence and ultimately broke the tie in the 11th minute to score Rayon Sports’ first goal of the game
The attacker had previously scored in the Rwanda Super Cup, helping Rayon Sport to a 3-0 victory over rival APR FC. This was his second goal since wearing the Rayon Sports jersey.
Moroccan Youssef Rharb doubled the score for the blue team 6 minutes later thanks to Joackim Ojera’s assist.
The former URA winger is in fine form, having contributed significantly in three goals in two games. As a reminder, Ojera drew two penalties against APR In a Super Cup clash last week
Rayon’s new coach Zelfani Yamen opened the game with five of his new recruits. Ugandan striker Charles Bbaale led the attack with Rharb Youssef, Burundians Aruna Madjaliwa and Emmanuel Mvuyekure stood central midfield, and Ally Serumogo at right back.
Gasogi was awarded a penalty in the 89th minute after an infraction in the Rayon key area, and Theodor Malipangou stepped up to beautifully put home the ball.
The seven-time Rwanda Premier League champions will feature in the CAF Confederation Cup this season.
KIU Titans beat Dmark Power Friday night at YMCA to register a third straight win within the National Basketball League.
This was KIU’s sixteenth win of the season. The Titans have lost three games and still have the City Oilers, Ndejje Angels and Kampala Rockets to finish their regular season.
It was a perfect start for the Titans, leading 22-14 in the first quarter. KIU built a 23-point lead by halftime, but from there it was all about containing the Power.
For the Titans, Peter Obreng punished Power with a team-high 16 points, while Dennis Balang scored 13 and Saidi Amishi and Innocent Ochera each scored 11.
It was also the third straight win for the team that had beaten the UPDF Tomahawks (64-58) and the KCCA Panthers (75-45) in the previous two games.
Football Kenya Federation, FKF Venues Inspection Committee have approved the stadium for the FKF Premier League matches for the 2023/24 season.
The team focused on key aspects such as pitch quality, spectator facilities, safety measures and compliance with FKF, CAF and FIFA regulations.
The report said the quality of the pitches varied between the venues visited. Some venues were showing signs of wear and tear and required immediate action to ensure player safety and quality of play.
In terms of spectator space, some venues had seats that could accommodate a sizeable crowd. However, some venues lacked adequate seating areas, accommodation, and facilities such as toilets and food stalls.
Matches will be held at Kasarani Main Stadium in Nairobi, Nyayo Stadium in Nairobi, Kirigiti Stadium in Kiambu, Laila Odinga Stadium (Homa Bay), Jomo Kenyatta Stadium (Kisumu), Wringi Sports Complex (Nairobi), Polis – Sakko Stadium (Nairobi), Buhungu Stadium (Kakamega), Mubaraki Stadium (Mombasa).
However, the committee decided that Gusii Stadium in Kisii, Ole Ntimama Stadium in Narok, Machakos County Stadium in Machakos, and Tika Stadium in Machakos were not ready to host matches at present.
Kasarani Annex, Utari Ground, Lualaka Ground, Muholoni Stadium, SportPesa Arena and Muranga Stadium have been approved to host low-risk matches, according to a report released by FKF Managing Director Barry Otieno. .
Kenya’s Malkia Strikers end Uganda’s unbeaten run, extending their own to three games.
The Malkia Strikers continued their Women’s African Nations Championship campaign with another 3-0 victory over neighbours the Lady Volleyball Cranes. The Kenyans have yet to lose a set, producing a similar 3-0 result against Rwanda and Burkina Faso.
Uganda, who beat Morocco yesterday, got off to a strong start to the season, but Lady Volleyball Cranes have learned that Kenya is a different team.
“This arena isn’t the best so we have some issues with the lighting on the other side of the field. We would like to have more time to train and adjust as the spots assigned to us are difficult for us,”
“It’s good for us to face such challenges in games because it tests our mental strength. It’s great to see how they adapt and play according to our plan,” explained Luizomar.
“Yesterday we watched them against Morocco and collected data to analyse them. We are happy the team responded well and it was a good performance overall,” noted Luizomar.
Malkia Strikers currently have nine points from three games and will face Morocco at 6:00 PM EAT on Friday.
Uganda will return to action on Saturday afternoon in its clash with Rwanda.
Following their victory on Wednesday, Vihiga Queens FC from Kenya and JKT Queens from Tanzania have advanced to the semifinals of the current CAF Women’s Champions League CECAFA Zonal Qualifiers.
Against New Generation, Esther Mabanza’s goal in the 56th minute was the deciding factor. JKT defended resolutely to earn all three points despite the former’s increased efforts to influence the game.
Vihiga Queens defeated AS Kigali of Rwanda when Bertha Omita scored the game-winning goal in the 36th minute. Vihiga Queens FC leads Group B on goal differential but is tied with JKT Queens FC at 6 points.
On Saturday, the two will square off to see who reigns supreme in Group B.
As of right now, neither AS Kigali FC nor New Generation FC have a point. Their matchup on the last matchday will decide which team finishes third and fourth in Group B.
