APR see off MBB with strong second half to stay perfect in Nile Conference

Armée Patriotique Rwandaise (APR) used a strong defensive third quarter to pull away and beat South Africa’s Made By Ball (MBB), 103-81, to remain perfect in the BAL Nile Conference.

APR limited MBB to just 12 points while going for 28 in the decisive third period, backed by a capacity crowd that included head of state Paul Kagame.

The opening quarter of the Sunday prime-time fixture was balanced, with both sides pacing the game well and looking for the right shots. Made By Ball turned out to be completely different on both sides of the ball, particularly in the first half.

Youngster David Craig provided the threat in the paint. The rising big man committed defensive bodies that created room for outside shooting but also protected the rim well, whenever on the floor.

MBB stayed locked in and controlled the flow of the game in the second quarter with patient offence and never gave any easy stuff on defence. Pieter Prinsloo stretched the floor on offense with his ability to knock down the 3-ball. The center hit a couple of 3s  in a period MBB dominantly scored from outside.

For APR, it was Alex Mpoyo who stepped up in the second quarter, hitting three shots from beyond the arc, and Obadiah Noel came in handy attacking the hole.

In the third quarter, APR slowly pulled away into a double-digit lead as MBB’s offense dried up. A couple of tough 3s from William Robeyns and Mpoyo took the lead to 14 with just under a minute to play and the crowd was live again as the presence of President Kagame was announced.

APR were in control for the rest of the game with their lead not threatened despite a chippy fourth quarter that saw Dane Miller Jr and Jovan Mooring get technicals.

Aliou Diarra, who had a quiet 22 points to go with 14 boards and 3 blocks, limped off with what looked like a hamstring injury.

Youssoupha Ndoye, meanwhile, showed out and led the way for APR with a game-high 25 points and pulled down 9 rebounds. Mpoyo (12) and  Chasson Randle (10) also scored in double figures, while Ntore Habimana once again led the game with 8 assists.

Teafale Lenard Jr (20 points), Mooring (17) and Prinsloo (13) scored in double digits for MBB.

The Nile Conference play continues on Tuesday when MBB (0-2) takes on Nairobi City Thunder (0-2) at 5 p.m. with both teams searching for the first win, while APR (2-0) faces Al Ahli (2-0) at 8 p.m. EAT in the battle of the unbeaten sides.

It should be noted that the top two teams from the Nile Conference and the best third place team between Kalahari Conference’s FUS Rabat (Morocco) and the third place team in the Nile Conference will advance to the BAL Playoffs and Finals which will take place at SunBet Arena in Pretoria, South Africa from June 6-14.

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