Wednesday, September 18 Game 4: Patriots 61-49 APR (series tied 2-2) Game 5: Friday, September 20 Patriots Basketball Club came back strong to even the betPawa finals series 2-2 after a convincing 61-49 Game 4 victory against rivals APR on Wednesday night. Some 6,500 were inside BK Arena to witness the finals battle between the two basketball heavyweights in the country which vying for the championship. Patriots want to climb to the champions’ podium for the first time since 2020 while the Lions want to retain it after breaking their 14-title jinx in 2023. Both teams finished the first quarter level with 14 points before Patriots opened a four-point lead (24:20) at the break. Henry Mwinuka’s men didn’t look back in the second half, avoiding any major mistakes that would haunt them, as they looked to bounce back from their disappointing loss in Game 3. Star small forward Branch Stephaun stole the show in the third quarter and powered his team to an early second half lead. The American basketball talent finished with 16 points overall to lead the scores in the game. Mwinuka had to twist his roster, introducing Kamndoh Betoudji Frank in favor center Prince Ibeh who has failed to impress in defense earlier in Game 3. Kamndoh seemingly cemented Patriots’s defence against APR’s offensive power while also scoring important points which were crucial in the win. Meanwhile, it was star point guard Isaiah Miller’s night, as he just managed 10 points against his 32 points contributed to the Lions Game 3 victory. This is the first time the American point guard is kept at 10 points or less in the playoffs, courtesy of Mwinuka’s man to man defensive strategy. Players like Wilson Nshobozwabyosenumukiza had a dry night, despite contributing to APR’s defense. He finished Game 4 with zero points. The best of seven series are now tied to 2-2, with game 5 slated for Friday at the BK Arena.
