KPA play Angola’s de Agosto in Africa Club Championships

IN ANGOLA

Revenge is best served cold. But will this be the case when Kenya Ports Authority women’s basketball team take on hosts Primeiro de Agosto in the Africa Club Championships in Angola on Sunday?

KPA lost to Primeiro de Agosto in the last championship held in Maputo, Mozambique, despite leading for the better part of the game.

Will the Angolans prevail again or will KPA up their game and flex muscles against the big guns as an indication that they should dine at the Queens table.

KPA has a mixture of the youth and experience and must strive to make an impact in this championship after finishing seventh last year.

Primeiro de Agosto have been champions before and are definitely one of the tournament’s favourites, especially in this year’s tournament now that they will be playing in front of their own fans.

KPA coach Anthony Ojukwu has said the dockers will be going into the game, set to tip off at 6.45pm Kenyan time, with an underdog tag but has promised to cause the biggest upset.

“I am aware we are here as underdogs but I also want you to know that under dogs are known to cause the biggest upset,” Ojukwu said after Saturday’s midday training session.

According to Ojukwu, he will be seeking to suffocate Primeiro in all their strong areas before exploding to beat them in front of their own fans.

ORDINARY OPPONENTS

“They are very ordinary opponents. The match just requires us to be mentally tough. We were beating them last year but we let the game go in the last minutes which is not fair because of the poor mindset of our players who believe that teams from Angolan teams are naturally strong,” Ojukwu said.

Natalie Akinyi, Betty Maithima Kananu, Seline Okumu, Felmas Koranga, Brigit Nanzala, Georgia Adhiambo, Beryl Diana, Ritah Onyango, Annrose Mandela and Lucy Machuma are some of the players KPA will be relying on for the much needed win.

Kenya’s Equity Bank were due to face off with First Bank of Nigeria in a game which was to tip off at 6.45pm Kenyan time on Saturday.

KPA are in Group B which also has DCMP from Congo, and Ferroviaro from Mozambique while Group A has Inter Club of Angola, who are the defending champions, Equity Bank of Kenya, GSP from Algeria, V-Club from Congo DRC and First Bank from Nigeria.

The games have attracted 10 clubs from six different countries.