•KPA men's and women's teams beat Strathmore University sides to take a 2-0 command in the semifinals of the best-of-five-game series.
•Strathmore Blades coach Tony Ochieng said the loss is behind the team and their focus remains on their next game
Image: FILE
Reigning champions Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) coaches remain unsettled despite winning all their playoff games in Nairobi over the weekend.
KPA men's and women's teams beat Strathmore University sides to take a 2-0 command in the semifinals of the best-of-five-game series. Game Three now moves to Mombasa.
“We seriously needed these wins away to give us a strong chance to qualify for the finals. But as much as we won, we have a serious concern, especially after allowing our rivals to cut down a 15-point lead to three. We must address that before the Mombasa games,” said men’s coach Cliff Owuor.
KPA won Game Two 64-59 on Sunday as Job Byron tallied 14 points. This result followed their 64-60 Game One victory the previous day.
Strathmore Blades coach Tony Ochieng said the loss is behind the team and their focus remains on their next game. He believes they still have a chance.
“These are playoffs and always a comeback is possible. We must manage the game well by making the right decisions at the right time,” said Ochieng.
“I'm working on it. We also need to work more on recovery from our offence to defence. Rotation is also very key to having good depth.”
KPA ladies also won 2-0 after Grace Irebu posted 19 points to lead them 61-54 win over Strathmore Swords. They won Game One 63-48.
Veteran KPA coach Anthony Ojukwu said: “We struggled this time away from home but it's great that we won our games.”
“Playoffs are usually a different game. Strathmore had a good game but my players showed character and won. I am happy going back home with a 2-0 lead.”
Equity Bank Hawks flew 69-59 past Zetech University Sparks as Jemimah Knight dropped 21 points. The students had won Game One 62-50.
“Our defence was much better than in the last game. Players like Jemima (Knight) and Melisa (Akinyi) stepped up on offence and Rita (Onyango) was also big on the glass. Liz (Okumu) was very good in defence,” said bankers coach Ben Oluoch.
Sparks tactician Maurice Obilo admitted they played badly and that everything was just off.
“It was a bad day in office and I know we can't have two bad games in a row,” said Obilo, adding they will correct their mistakes before Game Three.
Nairobi City Thunder have a 2-0 series lead after they extended their supremacy over Equity Bank Dumas beating them 79-77 and 69-66 in a closely fought games.
In the lower division, the Snipers beat Moi Air Base (MAB) 2-0 after an 82-53 win. They had won Game One 48-38 in the all-forces clash.
“The focus is to play with the big boys in the Premier League. We've worked for it and it's time to reap what we've planted,” said Snipers' coach William Otieno.
National Bank of Kenya (NBK) Phoenix did well to lock the series 1-1 with a well-taken 82-53 win. They had lost 71-61.