Playoffs: A look at the four teams battling it out

The playoffs of the Rwanda Basketball League will get underway on Friday, 26 as four teams that finished in the top four places of the league's second round will be tussling it out to find out who will take this year's trophy. Last season's champions Rwanda Energy Group (REG), their bitter rivals Patriots made it to the playoffs, along with Tigers Basketball Club and APR. In this article, Times Sport analyses each of the teams and what they can do when the competition tips off. Patriots Four-time champions Patriots finished the second round of the league topping the table with 46 points. This season, they made a massive statement as they twice beat the defending champion REG, showing how capable they are to overthrow them. Patriots boasts experienced players like Kenneth Gasana, 37, a star shooting guard who has played a key role in some of the key victories that the team has enjoyed in the recent years. Gasana is also a pillar for the national team, as he has featured in four of the five times that the country has participated in the Afrobasket competition. At Patriots, Gasana plays alongside very good players like Dieudonné Ndizeye, arguably the best small forward in the league and Kendall Gray, a very defensively gifted center, among others. With such players, the Patriots is a very balanced team that can score but also defend. REG Another giant club, REG were the champions of last season, a feat that earned them a ticket to play at the second edition of the Basketball Africa League (BAL) earlier this year, where they reached the quarterfinals. This season, they finished the second round in second place, behind Patriots. Both REG and Patriots were tied on 46 points, the latter was on top because of the head-to-head advantage since they beat REG twice in the league. Congolese center Pitchou Manga, Rwandan point guard Jean Jacques Nshobozwabyosenumukiza, as well as Cameroon-born power forward Beleck Bell Engelbert are key players that are expected to play no small role in REG's quest to retain its title. Manga is endowed with good blocking skills but also scores, Nshobozwabyosenumukiza has great handling techniques, speed, ferocity and scoring three pointers. In this year's BAL, Nshobozwabyosenumukiza averaged 1.7 steals per game, 3.7 average defensive rebounds, 14.2 points per game, and 3.5 assists per game.REG also have in their ranks players like Axel Mpoyo, a US-born Rwandan power forward who features for the National team, but has also played twice at the BAL - for Patriots and REG. The 24-year-old is a good attacker and scorer who often makes some contribution when needed. For instance, in an Afrobasket qualifier that the national team played against Nigeria last year, he posted a joint game-high of 13 points, although Rwanda went on to lose the game 51-64 to the West Africans. APR APR was third after two rounds of the league, with 45 points. It is not clear why the team has not won a league trophy in recent years, yet it is one of those that invest heavily in recruiting players and paying coaches. For insance this year, they have recruited William Robeyns, a Belgium-born Rwandan forward who is one of the best players on the Rwanda national team. If they can make the most of the talens of their players, and capitalise on their collective strength of scoring many points, but also put efforts in defence, APR can do well in the playoffs.Times Sport rates them as third favourites in this showpiece. Tigers Tigers are the underdogs in this year's playoffs, at least on paper. Founded about 3 years ago, the team has speedily built itself to become arguably the most promising club in the local league currently. They finished the second round of the league in fourth place with 39 points. It is the first time that Tigers will compete in the playoffs, but they should not be taken for granted. Adrian Breitlauch, a German power forward is one of the names on the Tigers team. In a game against IPRC-Huye this year, the 28-year-old scored 31 points, 17 rebounds, 6 assists and 5 steals. Also, small-forward Muteba Tresor is a name to arguably look out for in the team. In a game that they lost to the Patriots 65-87, the 32-year-old scored a high 17 points.

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Playoffs: A look at the four teams battling it out