Elie Kaje, the captain of Rwanda Energy Group (REG) Basketball Club has praised the friendly games that they have played recently, saying they have provided a good litmus test for the team ahead of the Basketball Africa League (BAL) playoffs that get underway from the 21st to the 28 of this month in Kigali.

He was speaking in a telephone interview with Times Sport on Friday, May 13 following REG’s 89-53 victory against Qatar in their last warm-up game that took place on Thursday, in Istanbul, Turkey.

This week, the Rwandan club played three friendly games against Middle-East national teams including Kuwait, Qatar, and Bahrain.

In their first game, REG beat Kuwait 77-67 on Tuesday, but lost 65-74 to Bahrain in the second one that took place on Wednesday.

"For the first time in a longtime, we played good and entertaining basketball. The wins over Qatar were convincing and the team spirit has never been better,” Kaje said.

He added "Playing against an experienced team like Qatar was a good litmus test to weigh ourselves and up our preparations. It was a massive boost of our morale and confidence ahead of the BAL Playoffs.”

The team will be returning to Kigali on May 15 for the final preparations before the playoffs begin.

In the playoffs, REG will take on Cameroon’s Forces Armées et Police (FAP) Basketball Club.