US-based Cleveland Thomas Jr says he is impressed with the contribution that he made in Rwanda Energy Group (REG) victory during the opener against Morocco’s AS Sale on Sunday in Senegal. Cleveland contributed a game- high 26 points as REG defeated AS Sale 91-87 at the Dakar Arena to inspire his team off to a bright start of the Sahara Conference. The 28-year old was playing his first competitive game in REG colours and has since created confidence in the club from the first minute he joined the club. “I am grateful for the performance. My teammate came talk to me in the second quarter and said ‘we need to turn-up and I know how I step-up’. I just had a week working together in training and it’s good that players give confidence to each other,” he said. Besides Cleveland, Anthony Walker, another new addition in the REG squad, sparked the Rwandan champions with 21 points and 8 rebounds. Reacting on the performance, REG head coach Robert Pack told Times Sport that “The key to our win was our defense. Once we started to limit their transition baskets and locked in the half-court defense we were able to get some easy baskets,” the former NBA player explained. “It’s really big,” Pack said when asked the significance of the win. “We didn’t have our guys together for a long time because a lot of guys were playing for national team. So, in a short period of time, the guys were able to come together, worked hard, we sorted somethings out. We really needed to get this first win, figure out who we are and finish the tournament on a strong note,” he added. REG play their second game against Seydou Legacy Athletique from Guinea on March 9 before taking on Dakar Universite Club on March 11 and Tunisian Powerhouse US-Monastir on March 14. Their last game will be against Ferroviário da Beira (Mozambique) on March 15.
