APR Secured Consecutive WBLA Semifinal Place As They Crucially Held On To Victory Against KPA‍

APR Secured Consecutive WBLA Semifinal Place As They Crucially Held On To Victory Against KPA‍

APR defeated Kenya Ports Authority 79-76 in a thrilling quarter-final clash inside the Prince Abdallah Al Faisal Sports Hall, Cairo, in a game that produced one of the most dramatic scenes at the tournament so far. A palpable tension that only comes when everything is on the line was visibly present, and when the final buzzer sounded, the players on the court looked utterly spent, having left every ounce of themselves on the court.

For a moment in the game, it looked like KPA were going to stage a solid comeback to snatch the game from the Rwandan side, who had only prosecuted the entire game with just six active players.

Aminata Samassekou and Alima Doumbia were not just playing; they were waging a war in the paint, as every time KPA needed a bucket, they went to one of the duo, and they sure delivered, finishing with a solid 19 points each and a combined five rebounds. Alongside Alexus Johnson, who finished with 16 points and grabbed a massive nine rebounds as they almost turned the game around in their favour, bullying their way to 22 points in the paint and a punishing 20 second-chance points.

However, APR's answer to this matchup was their very own three-headed monster, namely Italee Lucas, Destiney Philoxey, and Kierstan Bell. While KPA played with force, the trio played with some energy, pace and poise. Lucas' 22 points, five rebounds and seven assists were a masterclass display, as she managed the game effectively, finishing as the top performer and leading the all scorers chart. She was the spark for APR's lifeline, especially on fast breaks.

Every time KPA's bigs scored, Lucas, Philoxey and Bell, who combined for a massive 35 points and 15 rebounds, pushed the ball up the floor as they led their team to a 20-9 advantage in transition points, and that saw APR dominate in the paint with 34 points.

The game swung on a razor's edge, with the lead changing hands 13 times, but in the end, the difference was as thin as the three-point margin.

APR won by being just a little more composed and secure with the ball. The opening quarter saw a close back and forth as Doumbia got the first basket with less than a minute of play to get KPA on the board, but Bell responded with a shot from behind the arc almost 40 seconds later. Philoxey made two of two shots from the charity line as APR closed out with an 18-15 win.

The second quarter saw APR continue from where they left off in the first, going on a 10-0 run to extend their lead before Natalie Mwangale scored a three-pointer to cut the deficit to just seven points with 6:49 on the clock. When Yacine Diop finished a layup and converted the free throw that came with it, APR led by 10 points with about a minute left, and they went into halftime at 42-32.

The second half saw a solid fightback from the Kenyans as they improved on their shots and defensive play, scoring two consecutives shots from behind the arc followed by another two points to reduce the points-margin to six. That surge continued as they took the lead with less than four minutes on the clock at 48-47. More points were made on both ends of the court but it was KPA who finished the penultimate quarter leading by a point (56-57) as they headed into the final quarter.

The back and forth went on late into the final quarter and when APR took the lead with about four minutes left, it was solidly protected as they hung on to secure a crucial win that will see them make it to the WBLA last four consecutively as Kamba Diakite scored two shots from the charity line with 26 seconds left on the clock to seal a 79-76 victory for the Rwandans.

As the APR players embraced, there were tears of relief and joy. For them, they get another chance to go a step better than what was achieved in 2024 when they finished with a bronze medal. For KPA, the walk off the court was a heavy one as they had played their hearts out, dominated where they were strongest, and came up just short.

AfricaBasket spoke to an excited Yacine Diop after the win and she shared her thoughts on what they had to do to secure the win while also giving credits to the Kenyan side, describing them as a great team.

“First, I want to give credit to KPA because they're a great team. We played against them in Kenya and we knew how aggressive they were. We knew they had two new players so those were our main priorities today to watch, to focus on the players and get them out the game. We know how much they score per game. The goal was to take them out of the game and let KPA play with each other and we did that today.”

On making adjustments to her game and handling foul troubles from the last game especially as she was preparing for this game, she had this to say, 

“From the last game to this game, I would say my only adjustment was to be more aggressive. I know KPA knows who I am and they know that once I get the team going, we go on the run. So they try to get me out of my game and take me out of the game. But if I continue to be aggressive, I stay in the game and we're going to win. That's exactly what I did. Continue to be aggressive." 

She dismissed talks of going on a revenge mission ahead of the last four matchups but had some strong words for the opposition standing in her team’s way of getting the championship.

“I see ourselves making it. I see ourselves remembering who we are, playing together. And people say it's a revenge season, but I don't see it as a revenge season. I see it as me chasing the championship, whoever's in front of us, whoever it is, our goal is to go through you, not around you. We want to win the championship. That's our biggest goal and I would like to be a contender."

APR of Rwanda has a semifinal date to keep with the home team Al Ahly Sporting Club on Saturday evening in what promises to be an exciting matchup while Kenya Ports Authority will compete for a good finish in the first classification game earlier in the day against C.N.S.S of DR Congo.

[Photography Courtesy of FIBA]