APR Basketball Club pulled ahead in the last quarter and held on for a hard-earned 65-60 victory to take a 2-0 lead in the Rwanda Basketball League (RBL) semifinals. Isaiah Miller was exceptional once again.
KIGALI- Following an APR BBC narrow victory over REG BBC last Friday, today, September 1st, at Petit Stade, the last season playoffs finalists resumed their rivalry, and APR triumphed once again and moved one win away from securing a spot in the finals.
Much like Friday’s nail-biting finish, today’s matchup was decided in the final quarter. Although the Rwanda Energy Group team led at the end of the third quarter, the defending champions APR managed to prevail by five points, raising doubts among REG fans about their team’s endurance after consecutive losses in the final quarter.
Odaudu Ogoh’s REG led the first three quarters (11-10, 20-17, and 14-15) and took a three-point advantage prior to the final quarter. But the army side turned the ride, overcoming the deficit and gaining a twelve-point lead.
REG, the back-to-back RBL champions of 2021 and 2022, tried to come back in the game, but their attempt fell short and allowed APR to take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five series.
The American guard Isaiah Jaleel Miller scored 19 points on 9-17 FGs in 32 minutes spent on court.
REG’s Antino Alvalezes Jackson led all scorers with 21 points, but his offensive performance was not enough as his partner Cleveland Thomas, who usually contributes a lot in REG’s offensive play, was limited to only 8 points.
This win stretches APR’s streak to ten consecutive wins over REG.
As the series shifts to BK Arena, APR looks to take a commanding 3-0 and complete a sweep to advance to the 2024 RBL Finals.
In the other semifinal matchup, the Patriots thrashed Kepler 107-68 to take a 2-0 lead as well.
All remaining RBL playoff games will take place at BK Arena.
