Espoir, IPRC-Kigali clash in Heroes’ Day tourney final

Final: WomenUbumwe vs The Hoops Rwanda 3pm MenEspoir vs IPRC-Kigali 5pm Espoir and IPRC-Kigali will lock horns on Sunday evening in the final of this year’s Heroes’ Day basketball tournament at Amahoro Indoor Stadium—the game starts at 5pm. It has not been an easy road to the final for both teams that were in the same pool (Pool B), as they had to knock out pre-tournament favourites Patriots and Rwanda Energy Group, in the semi-finals. At the end of the day, one of the two teams will dethrone Patriots as Heroes’ Day tournament champions. The four-time league winners and last year’s finalists Espoir made it to the final as the only unbeaten team despite being underdogs. On the other, IPRC-Kigali will be contesting their first ever final since debuting in basketball league in 2014, and they will go into the game believing that can go all the way to a first trophy. They will also be seeking revenge against Espoir for beating them in the group stage, 76-60. In the semi-finals, IPRC-Kigali shocked REG, who are trained by former Espoir head coach Jean Bahufite, 91-82. Meanwhile, in the women category, defending champions Ubumwe will face The Hoops Rwanda in the final game, starting at 3pm, at the same venue. The women category attracted only three teams, the other being APR—they played against each other on a round robin format and the top two advanced to play the final. editorial@newtimes.co.rw

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Espoir, IPRC-Kigali clash in Heroes’ Day tourney final