Laiser Hill, Butere Girls School and Butula Boys triumphed in their respective final matches to be crowned champions as the 2023 Kenya Secondary Schools Sports Association (KSSSA) games ended on Saturday in Eldoret.
It was sweet revenge for Laiser Hill as they beat Dagoretti High 45-42 to reclaim the boys' basketball title they lost to Dr Aggrey last year. Dagoretti had eliminated Laiser Hill in the semis forcing them to settle for third place.
Butere Girls were equally over the moon after dethroning Kaya Tiwi. Butere hit where it hurts most avenging losses they have suffered in the hands of Kaya Tiwi.
Butere beat Kaya Tiwi 51-41 to bag their maiden national title. Kaya Tiwi's Mariam Wangari was in a class of her own sinking 19 points but her effort was not good enough to help her side retain their title. Terence Hil Musimbi top scored for Butere with 12 points while Elizabeth Alicia added 10.
Butere games master Howard Shikanga said that they have finally avenged their 2018 final loss against the Coast region giants.
"This was a sweet revenge. We lost to Kaya Tiwi in the 2018 finals, but beating Tigoi Girls in the regional finals, we knew we stood a better chance of lifting the national trophy. The girls have gained a lot of experience from the Kenya Basketball Federation (KBF) League One. They pushed themselves to the limit and led from the first quarter until the final," Shikanga said.
"We thank the principal (Jenipher Omondi) for the support she has given to the team through talent search and also enrollment in the league. The commitment of the players and coaches has finally paid off, Shikanga said.
An elated Butere coach Chris Odeke lauded his charges saying that they deserved the national title due to their hard work and commitment.
"I'm more than happy to win our first ever basketball national title, more so against the defending champions. It's been long overdue. This didn't just happen overnight; we've taken a lot of time to prepare. God's time is always the best. Focus now shifts to the league next term and the East Africa games," said Odeke.
Butere made their intentions to win the title dominating the game from the onset to take the first quarter 20-9. Kaya Tiwi were rejuvenated in the second quarter to take it 15-13 to reduce the deficit. However, Butere remained in control of the game taking a 33-24 going into the half-time break.
The second half was evenly contested with Kaya Tiwi taking the third quarter 10-8. Determined to be crowned champions, Butere recovered to take the fourth quarter 10-7 sending their fans into celebrations.
In the boys' final, Laiser Hill proved that they were the better side as Dagoretti struggled to settle into the game. Laiser took the first quarter 11-4 to take charge of the game. Dagoretti recovered in the second quarter to score 10 points against Laiser's seven and narrow their lead to three points.
Dagoretti would score 28 points in the second half against Laiser's 27 but had their dismal first quarter show to blame for missing the national title for the third time. Dagoretti have fallen short in the final since 2019.
In rugby 15s Butula were no match for All Saints routing them 38-0 to win this year's trophy. Rayvon Ambale top scored for Butula touching down once, converting twice and adding another nine points from penalty conversions. Reuben Amani, Michael Lukusi, Michael Macharia and Adrian Khwesa scored a try each for Butula.
