APR have been crowned the Rwanda Basketball League champions for a third time in a row, following their mammoth 81-72 victory over REG in Game 5 of the finals on Friday night at BK Arena.

Youssoupha Ndoye of APR led the scoring with an impressive 26 points and sealed seven rebounds, earning him the coveted Most Valuable Player award of the league's playoffs.

The Senegalese centre was among the players who significantly spearheaded the Rwandan side to achieve the league glory, despite joining the league just a month ago, when the playoffs began in June.

Both teams were neck and neck in the first half as they headed to the halftime break with a 35-35 stalemate. They maintained a tight showdown in the third quarter, though James Maye Jr's men were narrowly ahead at the end of that period, with a two-point advantage.

However, Ogoh Odaudu's REG couldn't match APR's pace later, and they fumbled in the final quarter, losing 25-18 to finish the game with a nine-point deficit. APR won the finals 4-1.

Antino Jackson was the second leading scorer for APR, adding 20 points, while Adonis Filer scored nine points.

REG's Prince Muhizi chipped in 23 points and nine rebounds, but it was still not enough to hand the three-time league winner a Game 5 win. Garmine Kande and Enock Isezerano added 14 and 13 points, respectively.

This marks APR's 16th league championship, and they will be representing Rwanda at the BAL 2026.

"It was a very tough series. To come here and win back-to-back championships is very important to us. We thank the crowd, all the fans, and everybody who came out and supported," said APR head coach James Maye Jr.

Awards:

Maye Jr was named the Coach of the Year, and Ndoye was awarded the playoff MVP, whilst Aliou Diarra was named the regular season MVP after accumulating 326 points, 200 rebounds, and 36 assists before heading to the NBA Summer League and missing the playoffs.

Chingka Garba of Orion received the Best Defender award after registering 260 rebounds and 36 blocks in the season.

Jean Jacques Boissy of REG was awarded the Top Scorer of the league, grabbing 367 points, including 39 three-pointers and 86 twos, before joining the NBA Summer League and missing the playoffs. He also registered 80 assists and 48 steals.

UGB's Eric Kayondo was named the Most Improved Player, while Alype Ntakirutimana received the Referee of the Year.

APR BBC v REG BBC

Photo: APR's William Robeyns attempts to get round Emile Kazeneza and Cleveland Thomas of REG during the Game 5 clash at BK Arena.