Saturday

Game FourEspoir 85-54 CSK

Espoir basketball club beat rivals Cercle Sportif de Kigali 85-54 in Game Four to win the play-offs crown for the third season in a row on Saturday evening at Amahoro indoor stadium.

In-front of a sparse crowd, defending champions Espoir dominated the game in what was expected to be a nail-biting clash, winning all four quarters; 35-17, 19-13, 16-11 and 25-13 respectively.

Former national U-18 team captain Pascal Karekezi and Congolese-born powerful forward Bienvenue Ngandu of Espoir each scored 18 points for Jean Bahufite’s champions, while CSK’s Buzangu brothers Mike and Patrick scored 13 and 11 points respectively.

Nyamirambo-based Espoir won the best of five final series 3-1 having taken Games 1 and 2 but lost Game 3 two weeks ago. The playoffs title completes another double for Espoir following success in the regular season league.

Talking to Sunday Sport in a post-match interview, Espoir captain Aristide Mugabe hailed his teammates for their efforts and sacrifice throughout the season.

He said: "We are happy for another milestone tonight; we dedicate this to our fans. Thanks to my teammates, coaching staff and club management.”

Ubumwe BC won the women’s regular league and playoffs titles to end APR’s dominance.