This archive report was first published on 20 August 2019.
Published on August 20, 2019, by CAXTON APOLLO.
Thunder's men's basketball team has taken the lead in the Premier League regular season after a thrilling 56-48 win over Strathmore University Blades at Nyayo Gymnasium.
The win propelled Thunder to the top of the 12-team log with 32 points, leaving Ulinzi Warriors in second position with 31 points. Both teams have only lost two matches, making them strong contenders for the top spot.
According to the Premier League rules, the top eight teams will advance to the play-offs quarter-finals. The teams that finish in the first two positions will be separated in the play-offs quarter-finals and semi-finals fixtures and will only meet again in the best-of-five series final.
Defending champions Kenya Ports Authority, who are placed third on the standings with 30 points, face a tough challenge to catch up with Thunder and Ulinzi Warriors in the battle for top spot. Thunder defeated Ulinzi Warriors comfortably 68-55 in the first leg and boast a better goal aggregate should the two teams tie on final points.
Strathmore University Blades dropped to sixth position with 24 points after the loss, and their chances of finishing in the top eight positions will depend on the outcome of their last six matches.
Equity Bank's 65-55 victory over Lakeside kept alive their chances of finishing the regular season top, but the bankers are disadvantaged by virtue of having lost three matches.
Eldonets, a team from Eldoret, surprised themselves by harvesting maximum four points from two tricky matches during their tour of Nairobi last weekend. They made a flying start with a hard-fought 50-47 win over KCA-U on Saturday before beating World Hope 75-59 a day later.
Eldonets coach Maurice Ouma said, "These two wins have earned us a spot in Premier League play-offs on our first attempt which is a big achievement. We did not train adequately in outdoor court because of heavy rains in Eldoret but picking maximum points in two away games confirms that winning Division One league last year was not a fluke."
With two matches left at their backyard and two away in Nairobi, Eldonets are left with a good chance of advancing to the play-offs.
KCA-U and World Hope will need a miracle to escape relegation after losing their crucial matches to Eldonets.
