Indomitable Lions target regular season form

Today

APR v Marine (Game 1)

Sun

Marine  v   APR (Game 2)
Venue: Amahoro Indoor Stadium

THE long wait for this year’s play offs final will finally come to an end this afternoon when defending champions Marine and favourites APR face off at the newly refurbished Amahoro Indoor stadium.

APR; the 2006 champions will be hoping to transform their regular season form into the best of five finals which promises to be a fascinating contest between the two leading clubs in the country.

The Indomitable Lions, fresh from Ethiopia where they retained their Africa Zone 5 Club Championships title, have revenge top on their agenda after missing out on last year’ play offs.

Meanwhile, after back to back defeats in the regular season and in the zonal club competition against APR, Marine also have scores to settle with their rivals.

"We have lost to APR in the regular season and in Ethiopia but that wont count. This is a new chapter and we shall give it our all,” said Janvier Kamanzi, Marine’s coach and APR’s former assistant coach. 

En route the final, APR maintained a 100% unbeaten record in the regular season, the first club to reach this milestone in recent history. They then sailed through to the plays off final after collecting default points from Rusizi in the play offs semi-finals.

Marine finished third after losing three games; two against APR and one against CSK; last year’s play offs finalists.

Marine also had to dig deep before securing a 2-0 series lead in the best of three play offs semi-final against CSK, a side they beat to the play offs title last season. 

These results coupled with an experienced front court partnership of Mike Buzangu, Issa Ngoga and Kami Kabange make APR hot favourites for the title. However, APR’s star guard Blaise Nikobahoze has cautioned his teammates not to take Marine lightly.

Nikobahoze’s message is very simple; the fact that his team comfortably won the regular season, beating Marine twice in the process, does not mean they are a sure bet for victory.

"We are definitely ready for Marine,” he said before adding a crucial caution, "the playoffs are very different from the league and if we lose to Marine, our regular season record would have been for nothing, this is the time you have to make it count.”

Ends