APR BBC and REG BBC are now one victory away from reaching the 2026 Rwanda Basketball League Playoffs final after securing wins in Game 3 of their respective semi-final series on Monday.
REG edged Patriots BBC 67-65, while defending champions APR defeated RSSB Tigers BBC 96-85 at Petit Stade in Remera.
REG took a 2-1 lead in its best-of-five series after a tightly contested game against Patriots.
Elliott Lamar Cole led REG with 19 points, nine rebounds, seven assists and two steals, while Garmine Kande Kieli added 14 points.
Patriots were led by Stubbs Jeffery Tyrone, who scored a game-high 21 points, but his performance was not enough to prevent his team from falling behind in the series.
REG will qualify for the final if it wins Game 4.
In the second men’s semi-final, APR produced a strong offensive display to beat RSSB Tigers 96-85 and take a 2-1 series lead.
Marquise Teafale Lenard Jr. led APR with 18 points, eight rebounds, five assists and three steals. Ntore Habimana and Mpoyo Axel each scored 17 points, while Leonard Craig Randall II added 16.
RSSB Tigers’ Bey Tyler Tarik was the game’s top scorer with 32 points, while Zouzoua Nisre Mimi contributed 18.
APR played without Nshobozwabyosenumukiza Jean Jacques Wilson, who missed the game because of illness.
The result leaves APR needing one more victory to secure a place in the final.
The men’s semi-finals will continue on Wednesday, August 12, with Game 4.
Women’s semi-finals remain level
Both women’s semi-final series were also levelled at 1-1 after Game 2 victories for Kepler WBBC and APR W BBC.
Kepler bounced back from its Game 1 defeat by beating The Hoops Rwanda 45-40.
Butera Hope led Kepler with 11 points, six rebounds, one assist and two blocks.
In the other women’s semi-final, APR W BBC narrowly defeated REG W BBC 86-85, with Philoxy Destiny Promise leading the way with 27 points, six assists, one rebound and one steal.
The women’s semi-finals will resume on Wednesday with Game 3.
The 2026 Rwanda Basketball League men’s semi-finals are being played in a best-of-five format, meaning the first team to win three games advances to the final.
