KPA, Ulinzi final thriller even
What you need to know:
- Game Four will be played Saturday at 4pm and should the two teams lock the series 2-2, the do-or-die Game Five to determine the new champions will he held on Sunday from 5pm.
- Determined to recapture the league title they last held seven year’s ago, the soldiers had forward Ancette Wafula in top gear to kill the coastal teams hopes of going up 2-0.
- Ulinzi never looked back and used their physical fitness to again outscore KPA (18-10) in the third quarter.
Ulinzi Warriors men’s basketball team recovered to beat Kenya Ports Authority 70-57 in an explosive Game Two of the best-of-five series play-off final at Safaricom Stadium on Thursday night.
Ulinzi’s victory left the 2014 Premier League title wide open with the teams tied on 1-1. The two giants were again scheduled to lock horns in Game Three on Friday night.
Game Four will be played Saturday at 4pm and should the two teams lock the series 2-2, the do-or-die Game Five to determine the new champions will he held on Sunday from 5pm.
Zetech University are one match away from winning the men’s Division One league championship after registering a 86-72 victory over Umoja in Game Two on Thursday evening.
Zetech was leading the series 2-0 and victory in Friday's Game Three was to see them declared the 2014 champions. But Umoja were left with only one chance of registering victory in Game Three at all cost to remain in the title contention.
DECIDING GAME
The series, if necessary, will extend to Game Four on Saturday and the deciding Game on Sunday.
After narrowly losing the opener 68-67, Ulinzi Warriors came back breathing fire to win Game Two 70-57. KPA, who lost 3-0 in last year’s play-offs final to Co-op Bank, could not click in Game Two in which Ulinzi fought aggressively as wounded soldiers from the first whistle.
Putting aside their problem of having less players, Ulinzi came with all the ammunition to hit KPA 16-12 in the first quarter.
Determined to recapture the league title they last held seven year’s ago, the soldiers had forward Ancette Wafula in top gear to kill the coastal teams hopes of going up 2-0.
Wafula, who had missed two semi-final play-off matches against USIU-A Tigers, was on fire hitting a game high 23 points.
Experienced Victor Odendo and William Ochieng’s played under coach William Balozi’s instruction to keep KPA shooters Tobias Onyango and Ariel Okal out of the game.
FOCUSED ARMY MEN
The strategy worked well for Ulinzi, who were up 15-11 in the second quarter The dock men continued to struggle as the focused army men led 31-23 at the break.
With experienced coach Anthony Ojukwu back on the technical bench after missing in Game One, KPA top players Onyango, Okall and Martin Gitonga still failed to deliver goods as expected.
Ulinzi never looked back and used their physical fitness to again outscore KPA (18-10) in the third quarter.
The coastal team, which had shown champions Co-op Bank the door 3-0 in the semi-final, took long to learn their opponents strategy.
KPA re-organized their offense to win the fourth quarter (24-21) but Ulinzi were already comfortable to emerge winners. KPA last won the league title 22 year’s ago. William Ochieng added 13 points for Ulinzi, while Okal had (12), Gitonga (11) and Alex Lugasi (11) for KPA.