This archive report was first published on 15 December 2019.
On December 15, 2019, Equity Hawks, the reigning Kenya Basketball Federation (KBF) Women League champions, took a crucial lead in their title defense by defeating Kenya Ports Authority 63-59 in Game One of the final playoffs at Makande Gymnasium.
Despite KPA dominating three quarters, the Hawks' strong first quarter, where they led 22-8, proved to be the deciding factor in the game. They maintained their lead throughout the game, with a narrow loss in the second quarter (14-13) and a win in the third quarter (20-13).
Team Captain Esther Butali attributed their victory to their strategy of utilizing other players besides their star Belinda Akoth, who was heavily guarded by KPA.
Head coach David Maina expressed his satisfaction with the team's performance, stating, 'I am happy how we played today. The win was a morale booster since winning in Mombasa is not easy. I appreciate my players for following instructions, they had good energy from the beginning and I hope they will continue with the same energy and attitude in tomorrow’s match.'
KPA head coach Mike Opel promised a different game come Sunday, stating, 'We started off badly, we recovered well but we lacked extra efforts to win the game. I expect my players to play a different game tomorrow.'
The two teams will meet again on Sunday for Game Two in the Five Game Series final playoffs at the same venue.
