Rwanda’s APR Basketball Club (APR BBC) got off to a flying start in the Basketball Africa League’s (BAL) Nile Conference group stage with a dominant 92-63 victory over Kenya’s Nairobi City Thunder (NCT).
The game, held at BK Arena in the capital Kigali on Saturday evening, marked a historic moment as the Rwandan capital hosted a BAL conference stage for the first time.
APR’s Aliou Diarra was the standout performer, recording an impressive double-double with 21 points, 12 rebounds, six blocks, four assists and two steals, setting the tone for the host’s commanding win over the tournament debutant.
The game began with both teams trading baskets, with Nairobi City Thunder narrowly leading 23-22 at the end of the first quarter. However, APR soon took control, thanks to back-to-back baskets from Dane Miller Jr. and a strong all-around team performance. Despite NCT’s Tylor Ongwae being the only player to reach double digits in the first half, APR led 39-31 at halftime.
“I know it’s been a tough loss, but we are going to bounce back,” NCT captain Ongwae told reporters after the game.
In the third quarter, APR increased the intensity, with Diarra, Youssoupha Ndoye and Chasson Randle combining to widen the gap. Although NCT briefly rallied toward the end of the third, APR maintained a solid 59-51 lead heading into the final period before pulling away decisively.
Earlier in the day, Libya’s Al Ahli Tripoli defeated South Africa’s Made in Africa Basketball Club (MBB) 87-77 in a scrappy opener.
This is the first time Kigali has hosted a BAL conference stage, having previously served as the venue for the league’s finals since its inception in 2021. The Nile Conference, running from May 17-25, features four teams: APR (Rwanda), Al Ahli Tripoli (Libya), MBB (South Africa) and NCT (Kenya), with three of the four making their BAL debuts this season.
The four teams are competing for a place in the BAL playoffs, set to take place in Pretoria, South Africa, where the 2025 BAL champion will be crowned in June. Enditem
Source: Xinhua
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