This archive report was first published on 18 November 2019.
On Sunday, November 17, 2019, Kenya Ports Authority's (KPA) women's basketball team cruised to the semis of the Kenya Basketball Federation (KBF) Premier League playoffs after a convincing 79-31 win over Eagle Wings in the quarterfinals at the Nyayo Gymnasium in Nairobi.
The Dockers had already won Game One on Saturday, 78-43, and their Sunday victory secured their place in the semis, where they will face Storms, a team they also met in last year's semis.
KPA dominated the game from the start, winning the first quarter 13-11, followed by a 25-8 victory in the second quarter. The Eagles were unable to mount a comeback, falling 19-0 in the third quarter and 22-12 in the fourth.
"I am happy with my team's performance, it's a step towards our goals this season, but we expect a tough match in the semis since Storms are a tougher opponent compared to Eagle Wings," said KPA head coach Mike Opel.
KPA captain Brenda Angeshi expressed her team's excitement for the semis, anticipating a good match from Storms.
Meanwhile, the KPA men's team has one foot in the semis after winning Game One against Blades of Strathmore University 86-73 at the same venue. The game was closely contested, with the two teams drawing 18-18 in the first quarter before KPA dominated the second, third, and fourth quarters.
"We started the game badly but we were able to come out strong in the third and fourth quarters and I believe when we host them for Game Two we will be able to finish what we started here in Nairobi," said KPA head coach Sammy Kiki.
Assistant head coach Samuel Ocholla praised his team's performance, saying they played well and stuck to their game plan.
"We played really well and according to the game plan, as expected, it was a tough game but I thank the players for sticking to our game plan. We now focus on Game Two at our home court and we hope to kill off the series and progress to the semis," Ocholla said.
Weekend Results:
- Storms 66-62 Strathmore (women)
- KPA 78-43 Eagle Wings (women)
- KPA 79-31 Eagle Wings (women)
- Blades 78-86 KPA (men)
