Can Marine stop APR from reclaiming the title?

Marine (Still in contention) After playing some stupendous basketball on their way to lifting the 2007 title, their first in three attempts, Marine and of course APR are still hot favorites for the title. Marine lost back to back ties against APR but still made the play offs as the second best team in the regular season. At the weekend, the Gisenyi-based club progressed to the play offs final on the back of two very close games against Cercle Sportif (CSK). Much as they struggled against CSK, APR will be on their toes when the two sides wrestle for the championship. APR (Exuding form) APR have had a colossal season. It has matched their expectations but no one, not even club coach Cliff Owuor thought the Indomitable Lions would do it in such classy fashion. APR shot higher at the end of the regular season when they became the first club in the history of Rwandan basketball to finish off the regular season with a 100% record. Even the defending champions Marine looked inferior against the 2006 champions. Now, APR and Marines, are about to revive their rivalry when they tussle it out for the championship in the best of five play offs final. Enroute the final, Marine edged CSK 65-64 in Game one and capped it up with a 68-67 victory in Game 2 to take an assailable 2-0 win in the best of three play-off series. On the other hand, APR majestically matched into the final after earning default points from Rusizi when the Western Province club failed to show up and the club now risks a ban from the local basketball governing body (Ferwaba). Last year, APR who were chasing for honors on both domestic and continental fronts (Fiba-Africa Club championships) failed to balance the two and paid the price when they were edged to the final play-off slot by debutants Rusizi. It was the first time the Indomitable Lions had missed out since the local basketball governing body (Ferwaba) introduced the play offs system two years ago. Espoir (Torn to pieces) Espoir’s three-year title draught took a deeper blow when the former heavyweights failed to make the play offs with yet another dreadful season. Despite losing to APR, Marine, CSK and even looking fragile against Rusizi, they were still in touching distance of a play offs slot until they messed it up. The out of sorts club blew up a possible chance of qualifying for the play offs when they gave away default points to Rusizi in their second last game of the regular season. That alone exposed Espoir as a club that did not have hope and the necessary credentials to challenge the big guns (APR and Marine). Even Espoir fans didn’t expect miracles from the club but at least demanded a more aggressive approach to the league.With the likes of CSK, Marine and APR seemingly eager to stump their authority on the local scene, Espoir have a serious task at hand in trying to rebuild their already shattered ambitions. So, whether Espoir can have a more opportune moment for a fundamental change next season remains to be seen. Rusizi (Gaffe of the season) As APR hit headlines for being the first club to finish the entire regular season unbeaten, Rusizi also yarned to get into the spotlight but unfortunately for them, it was for the wrong reasons. Rusizi gifted the 2006 champions a free pass to the play offs final after failing to show up for their best of three play offs series at the weekend. According to an official from the basketball federation, the Western Province club is likely to be penalized for their no-show antics. “The play offs is something that everyone looks forward to. At the start of the regular season, everyone is interested in which clubs will finally get to the play offs. It’s the icing on the cake for the regular league, so Rusizi should be dealt with severely,” the official said. The Ferwaba president Fidele Rutagarama also said that a decision would be reached during the course of this week. Other clubs Just like the previous season, Basketball United Generation (UGB), the National University of Rwanda (UNR) and Kigali Institute of Education (KIE) have not had genuine attempts to the title. In particular, UGB have looked out of sorts since the death of their coach Jean de Dieu Nizeyimana last year. Play offs At the start of the 2008 regular season, Times Sport made some predictions about which teams would make the play offs and how they would fare in the grand finale. Overall, we didn’t fare too poorly, but things didn’t turn out completely as predicted. So, here is a follow up on how we are faring with these predictions. Teams through to the Play offs With APR’s quality and experience, Marine’s depth and confidence after last year’s heroics and Cercle Sportif (CSK)’s hunger for success after a convincing campaign in their debut season (2007), it was obvious that the trio had their play off spots intact. The big question though was who of the two sides; Espoir and Rusizi, would hold onto their play offs place. Times Sport had put their money on Espoir owing to their experience and rich history. However, Rusizi edged them. Just like in their debut season (2007), the Western Province club pulled off another surprise performance in the regular season. Despite back to back defeats against Marine and APR, Rusizi showed more resilience than Espoir. The best of five play offs finals between APR and Marines are scheduled for early November. Ends

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Can Marine stop APR from reclaiming the title?