Fears of fatigue as Equity, KPA meet in Game Three

Hellen Oketch #5 of KPA women's basketball team challenges Equity Bank's Belinda Okoth #12 during their National Classic Basketball League women's play-offs final at KPA's Makande Hall in Mombasa on December 13, 2018. PHOTO | KEVIN ODIT |

What you need to know:

  • KPA won game one on Wednesday 67-57 but the bankers turned the tables on Thursday winning game two 64-47
  • Ojukwu suffered yet another blow after experienced guard Annrose Mandela left for a 10-day holiday in Dubai on Friday
  • David Maina, the Equity Bank head coach, says he will manage the fatigue by rotating his players like he did in Mombasa

Fatigue will most certainly show when Equity Bank and Kenya Ports Authority face off in Game Three of the National Classic Basketball League's women's play-offs final at Nyayo National Stadium on Saturday 4pm.

Both teams have not rested since the Africa Zone Five club championships in Dar es Salaam in October and the Africa Club Championships in Mozambique last month.

In fact, they had unsuccessfully pleaded with the Kenya Basketball Federation to have the play-offs shelved to next year.

It remains to be seen how both teams will handle the remaining three fixtures planned for Saturday through to Monday, with the teams currently tied at 1-1 in this best-of-five series.

KPA won game one on Wednesday 67-57 but the bankers turned the tables on Thursday winning game two 64-47.

KPA left Mombasa on Thursday night, immediately after the match, and had a day long rest in Nairobi ahead of Saturday's fixture while Equity Bank were due in Nairobi Friday evening.

"It has been two months of non-stop basketball for us and we wanted the play-offs pushed to next year, but now that the KBF is insisting the games have to conclude, we have to find a way of ensuring the players give out their best," said KPA coach Anthony Ojukwu who instructed his players to rest the whole of Friday and Saturday morning.

Ojukwu suffered yet another blow after experienced guard Annrose Mandela left for a 10-day holiday in Dubai on Friday leaving yet another gap following the absence of Donasama Obonyo and Natalie Akinyi who have both been ruled out due to injuries.

"I had made arrangements to travel for holidays in Dubai and cannot just change my plans," Mandela said on phone before departing to Dubai at 1.45pm on Friday.

David Maina, the Equity Bank head coach, says he will manage the fatigue by rotating his players like he did in Mombasa where three players who did not feature in Game One were drafted in Game Two a tactic which he says worked for him.

"I have a lot of competition in my team with all the 16 registered players equal in strength thus making it very easier for me to rotate," said Maina, who has predicted he will win Games Three and Four and seal the series on Sunday.