Robert Pack, the Head Coach of Rwanda Energy Group (REG) has lauded his team’s win against continental giants US Monastir, saying it was a very important one. The Rwandan club registered a slim 77-74 victory against the Tunisians on Monday night to qualify for the playoffs that will take place in Kigali in May. “To be able to win a game like this, it was very important for us. It was a tough challenge, but it was one that I was willing to step up to, and I am glad that we got the win tonight,” he said in a post-match interview. Speaking about the performance put up by Congolese center Pichou Manga who was one of the standout players in the game as he scored 16 points and 10 rebounds in addition to pulling off some amazing blocks to deny the Tunisians scoring opportunities, Pack praised the aggressiveness he showcased. “He has been like that all the tournament. We have been trying to establish him. He has a big body. We are trying to get him the ball, and tonight he was very aggressive with his post-ups. After the first quarter he started finishing, and that’s what we want him to do. We have some good perimeter players, we really want him to have the ability to play inside, and tonight Pitchou was able to give us what we have been looking for. He played a great game,” he said. Power forward Axel Mpoyo, who came off the bench to score some important points for REG revealed that his contribution off the bench was long overdue. “I’ve always had that energy,” he said. “I just needed to come out of the bench and do the little things, rebounding and take shots,” added Mpoyo who was 3-for-7 from behind the arc to finish with 9 points. “This win says that we are going in the right direction. They are a really good team. We knew it was going to be a fight,” the Rwandan international player pointed out. REG return to the court tonight against Ferroviario da Beira.
