{"id":72385,"date":"2024-05-08T18:00:58","date_gmt":"2024-05-08T18:00:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/bal-2024-noel-leads-charge-as-apr-silence-as-douanes"},"modified":"2024-05-08T18:10:45","modified_gmt":"2024-05-08T18:10:45","slug":"bal-2024-noel-leads-charge-as-apr-silence-as-douanes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/sport\/bal-2024-noel-leads-charge-as-apr-silence-as-douanes","title":{"rendered":"BAL 2024: Noel leads charge as APR silence AS Douanes"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Rwanda. <\/strong><\/span>Tuesday, May 7<\/p>\n

APR 66-61 AS Douanes<\/p>\n

Rivers Hoopers 84-63 US Monastir<\/p>\n

Star guard Obadiah Noel starred again with a game high 24 points to power APR to a 66-61 hard fought victory over Senegal\u2019s AS Douanes on Tuesday night to improve to a 2-1win ratio at the BAL 2024 Sahara Conference regular season going on at the Dakar Arena.<\/p>\n

The American has been Mazen Trakh\u2019s main man at the Conference games in Dakar and he proved it again when APR defied the odds and silenced Doaunes\u2019 home crowd to take home the win, the second in their last three matches.<\/p>\n

Adonis Filer was another APR player to score in double digits, contributing 10 to the army side\u2019s score.<\/p>\n

It was a closely-contested matchup that could have gone either way as the 16 lead changes showed.<\/p>\n

APR BBC point-guard Obadiah Noel in action during the game in Dakar, Senegal on Tuesday, May 7. Noel scored 24 points to help APR improve their conference win ration to 2-1 after beating AS Douanes 66-61 at home to the Dakar Arena on Tuesday night. Courtesy<\/p>\n

Despite making 21 turnovers, APR\u2019s 44 rebounds against AS Douanes\u2019 36 minimized their damage as the Rwandan champions prevailed 66-61.<\/p>\n

APR forward Axel Mpoyo, who contributed 8 points, later shed light on how they pulled off their second win in the Sahara Conference.<\/p>\n

BAL 2024<\/b>: APR \u201cready for the challenge\u201d vs AS Douanes-Trakh<\/p>\n

\u201cWe knew from the beginning it was going to be a fight because they are a very physical team and we needed to come and play hard,\u201d Mpoyo said.<\/p>\n

Jean Jacques Boissy, the only AS Douanes to score in double digits, finished with 14 points, Adama Diakhite added 9 off the bench while Ibrahima Thomas, Abdoulaye Harouna and Mike Fofana, contributed 8 points apiece in the losing cause.<\/p>\n

Neither team managed a double-digits lead in the nerve-racking clash.<\/p>\n

Mpoyo admits they experienced ups and downs in the low-scoring game because of \u201ca little lack of concentration at the end with the turnovers, but we needed to be more solid with the ball, especially towards the end of the game. That\u2019s something we need to clean up for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n

After losing to Rivers Hoopers (86-82), APR knew they would need to bounce back to keep their playoff aspirations alive.<\/p>\n

The game was so intense that, with 32 seconds on the clock, the officiating team needed approximately five minutes to review an incident that resulted in a double technical foul for Noel and Ibrahima Thomas.<\/p>\n

APR BBC’ s point-guard Jean Jacques Wilson Nshobozwabyosenumukiza with the ball during the game<\/p>\n

With APR leading 60-59 in the waning seconds of the game, the final score was determined from charity stripe as both teams were on foul limits.<\/p>\n

With the win over US Monastir, Rivers Hoopers finished their first round of the 2024 Sahara Conference as the only team without a defeat.<\/p>\n

The second round of the Sahara Conference starts on Thursday \u2013 after a rest day on Wednesday \u2013 with Rivers Hoopers facing hosts AS Douanes while US Monastir will take on APR.<\/p>\n

APR BBC’s Abdullah Ahmed<\/p>\n

Adonis Filer was another APR player to score in double digits, contributing 10 to the army side\u2019s score.<\/p>\n

Star guard Obadiah Noel starred again with a game high 24 points to power APR to a 66-61 hard fought victory over Senegal\u2019s AS Douanes<\/p>\n

Star guard Obadiah Noel scored 24 points to help APR improve their conference win ration to 2-1 after beating AS Douanes 66-61 at home to the Dakar Arena on Tuesday night-courtesy<\/p>\n\r\n