Africa-Press – Rwanda. Wednesday, July 2
Finals Game 1
APR 91-86 REG
Star point guard Jean Jacques Wilson Nshobozwabyosenumukiza scored a game-high 19 points to power APR past Rwanda Energy Group (REG) with a 91-86 Game 1 victory at BK Arena on Wednesday night, July 2.
The win marked the perfect start to the finals for the army side which leads the best-of-seven finals series 1-0.
James Maye Jr’s men were off to a flying start to Game 1, winning the first quarter 35-27 before REG narrowed the deficit to six points after taking second quarter 20-18 as APR headed into halftime leading the game 53-47.
Returning for the second half, APR looked unplayable thanks to their pace and fighting spirit. They won third quarter 26-16 and opened a 16 points lead going into the final quarter.
At that point, the majority of the crowd inside the BK Arena was convinced that APR were going to win the match. However, REG came back a different side from what people have seen the first three quarters.
Lead by Cleveland Thomas, the electricians launched a comeback and narrowed the deficit by just two points as they trailed APR 84-86 with one minute to play.
They dominated the last quarter 23-12 but APR held their nerves to maintain the lead until the final second aa the game ended 91-86.
Besides Nshobozwa’s brilliance, Adonis Filer dropped 15 points while Jean Victor Mukama contributed 13 points.
For REG, Cleveland Thomas Jr dropped 30 points and 10 rebounds as point guard Jean de Dieu Umuhoza contributed 13 points. The teams will return to action in Game 2 on Friday, July 4.
The finals’ hype was dealt to a blow after APR center Aliou Diarra and REG start point guard Jean-Jacques Boissy made themselves unavailable before Game 1 after they were invited to participate in the 2025 NBA Summer League which will take place in Las Vegas, Nevada, in the United States from July 10-20.
The opportunity was too good for Boissy to turn down although he admitted that he wasn’t able to finish the battle he started with REG.
“First, I would like to thank the management and the coach that allowed me to leave on this crucial time to chase my dream. To the fans or REG, I am sorry I couldn’t make it to the end of the tunnel but I trust my teammates,” the BAL 2025 MVP posted on his Instagram story on Wednesday.
The pair departed Kigali on Wednesday, July 2, where they joined the Dallas Mavericks and the Milwaukee Bucks respectively as they hope to make their mark at the off-season competition.
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