APR Basketball Club secured the No. 1 seed for the Rwanda Basketball League playoffs after edging RSSB Tigers 84-82 in the final game of the regular season on Saturday.
The victory guaranteed APR first place in the standings with 30 points, one ahead of Patriots BBC, ensuring the military side will enter the postseason as the league’s top-ranked team.
APR needed only a victory by any margin to seal first place and delivered in a tightly contested matchup that remained in doubt until the closing seconds.
APR took the opening quarter 17-16 before RSSB Tigers responded with a 21-19 second-quarter advantage to carry a narrow lead into halftime.
The momentum shifted after the break as APR dominated the third quarter 24-17, overturning the deficit and taking control of the contest.
RSSB Tigers mounted a late comeback, winning the fourth quarter 28-24, but fell just short of forcing overtime. The closing minutes also featured brief on-court tensions between players from both teams, though officials quickly restored order.
RSSB Tigers forward Zouzoua Nisre Mimi led all scorers with 29 points, but his performance was not enough to prevent his team’s defeat.
The result also finalized the regular-season standings. Patriots BBC finished second with 29 points, while REG BBC placed third with 27 points. RSSB Tigers also ended with 27 points but settled for fourth place.
With the regular season complete, the playoffs will feature APR BBC against RSSB Tigers in one semifinal matchup, while Patriots BBC will face REG BBC in the other.
