Kenya: KPA Women Claim Top Spot in KBF League
By Caxton Apollo
Kenya Ports Authority women's team finished top of the regular season campaign after the weekend's Kenya Basketball Federation League matches.
KPA were declared regular season winners after rivals Equity Bank ended their second leg campaign with a huge 56-19 victory over winless and relegation bound Lady Bucks at Nyayo National Stadium Gymnasium on Sunday.
KPA and defending champions Equity Bank women's teams completed their 18 second leg fixtures with 35 points each, but the dock women had an edge over the bankers on good goal aggregate to finish in first position.
The two rivals had a neck-to-neck competitive season which saw them win 17 outings each with one loss.
"We had a good season and are comfortable with finishing second behind our rivals KPA to qualify for the play-offs quarter finals. As things stand we shall be in separate pools and not to meet KPA until the final where we are well prepared to defeat them to retain the Premier League crown," said Equity coach Sylvia Kamau.
Zetech University demolished Lady Bucks 97-16 to keep their third spot on 30 points from 13 wins and four loses.
In the men's league, KPA improved their chances of finishing top in the regular season after they garnered maximum four points from their last two home matches at KPA Makande Gymnasium at the weekend.
The dock men demolished Umoja 71-32 on Saturday and went a head to register a 20-0 walk-over against Nairobi-based bottom placed Emyba, who failed to show up in Mombasa on Sunday.
As a result, KPA maintained their 12-team league leadership with 39 points.The dock men have so far won 20 matches and lost once to rivals Ulinzi Warriors
KPA have a chance to avenge their first leg defeat against Ulinzi Warriors in their decisive return leg match scheduled for Nyayo on Saturday.
KPA coach Sammy Kiki said the team has been in an intensive 10-day residential training camp in Mombasa and they have prepared well to turn the tables on Ulinzi Warriors
"We lost to Ulinzi Warriors at home in first leg because we had not prepared well due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Now we just need to beat them by any margin in our last tie to realise the dream of finishing top in the 12-team competition" said Kiki.
"Beating Ulinzi Warriors will give us an upper hand in the play-offs," added Kiki.
Thunder complicated their chances of finishing in the top four positions when their mediocre performance saw them drop two vital points in Eldoret and Kisumu at the weekend.
Coach Sadat Gaya's charges were beaten 79-53 by Eldonets on Saturday with Lakeside not sparing them shocking them 51-45 in Kisumu on Sunday.
After the defeats, Thunder are still placed fourth with 31 points with two matches left, which they must win to keep their position intact.
Thunder have won 11 matches and lost nine. University of Nairobi's Terrorists' hopes of managing a top four finish went up in smoke when fellow students Kenyatta University Pirates beat them 73-60. Terrorists, who were down 33-32 at the break, remain in fifth spot on 29 points with one fixture left to end
the second leg. Terrorists have won eight matches and lost 13.
Umoja, Lakeside, Pirates and Eldonets are battling hard to finish in sixth, seventh and eight positions to qualify for the play-offs quarter-finals.
Umoja occupy the sixth spot on 27 points after they lost 71-32 to KPA. Lakeside were the greatest beneficiaries after they rocked giants Thunder in Kisumu to move to sixth position on 27points.
Eldonets are placed 10 with 25 points after having won eight outings and lost nine with seven matches to go.
Emyba, who failed to travel to Mombasa to meet giants KPA, are bottom on the table standings with 16 points from four wins and eight loses, but still have a chance of finishing among the top eight.
Kenya College of Accountancy will need a miracle to escape relegation after managing 17 points from one win and 16 loses with four outings to go.
This article originally appeared in the Daily Nation.
Photo: Nation Media Group.