Nairobi City Thunder have promised more exciting times as they prepare for tomorrow’s Kenya National Basketball League match against former national champions Ulinzi Warriors at Nyayo Stadium.
Thunder trounce reigning champions Kenya Ports Authority 65-45 in their top-of-the-bill match at their Makande Welfare Hall backyard. Thunder, who remain the only unbeaten side in the 12-team set-up, have bagged a maximum of 20 points from 10 games.
They took a 17-9 first-quarter lead and did not relent. KPA, playing before their noisy home fans, took the second stanza 12-11 but still went on to trail 49-33 as the two giants went to the break.
“The team struggled a bit in the first half. That happens, sometimes and they did what they needed to score points on a night when the outside shots weren’t falling at a high rate,” offered head coach Brad Ibs.
“The guys played well, especially on defence. After giving up a few offensive rebounds in the first quarter, we played amazing defence the whole game,” the coach noted.
After intermission, Thunder who have continued to show their intention of winning their first national title, took the third stanza 21-12 and the deciding quarter with a close 16-12 edge.
“In the second half, we moved the ball well and got to the basket more. That started opening things up for us to score the ball a bit better. They also played with great composure in a difficult environment,” Ibs explained.
Ariel Okal playing against his old team, led the scorers chart with 14 goals, Garang Diing dropped 13, Griffin Ligare shot 11 and Faheem Juma hit 10 in that huge win.
KPA tactician Sammy Kiki said the loss was a wake-up call. “We just had a bad day in the office. Our shots were not good and our execution in offence was equally not good.”
“The defence, which has always been generating our offence was not great. They had a better game than us. It is a wake-up call for us to focus on our next league games.”
For KPA, who have now lost one of their seven games and lie seventh on the log, Job Byron picked up 12 points and Thomas Odhiambo managed 10 in the rare home loss.
