KPA WIN GAME ONE: Dockers see off Equity as basketball play-offs final start in Mombasa

kenya basketball play-offs final match one Samba Mjomba (right) of Equity Bank dribbles the ball against Betty Kananu (left) of KPA during the Kenya Basketball Federation Play-offs finals game one at the KPA Makande GYM. KPA ladies won 62-43. [PHOTO BY GIDEON MAUNDU/STANDARD].

Former champions Kenya Ports Authority remained on the perfect road to be crowned champions after they registered a 62-43 triumph over Equity Bank in the opening match of national women basketball playoff finals at the Makande Indoor Gymnasium in Mombasa yesterday.

The win has enabled the Mombasa based side to take a 1-0 lead of the best-of-five final series and need to win game two today to comfortably take a 2-0 lead ans stay on course of being crowned the 2016 national champions.

In the tense match, KPA coached by Anthony Ojukwu and assisted by veteran coach Philip Onyango stayed aggressive from the first whistle and never looked back to the final minute.

However, the bankers coached by former KPA men player David Maina were no pushovers and gave good account of themselves especially in the third quarter although it was too late for them to narrow the big margin. KPA took the first quarter 18-5 and went ahead to take a 36-13 lead at half time and extended the lead to 55-25 in the third quarter.

Betty Kanani was the top scorer for the winners after bagging 12 points while Ivy Akinyi added nine more for KPA. Hilda Indaji and Mercy Wanyama scored 16 and 10 points for Equity Bank.

Coach Onyango said the win was a morale booster. “The win was important to us and we are not going to relax. We need to finish the business in the third match and wrap up the series 3-0,” Onyango said.

Coach Maina hopes to work on the mistakes, which them lose yesterday’s match and come back strongly in today’s match hoping to level the tally  before the teams move to Nairobi for the third match next weekend.

Meanwhile, the NBA fined Atlanta Hawks forward Taurean Prince and Miami Heat forward James Johnson $25,000 each on Friday after they tangled in a game this week, adds AFP reports.

Prince was assessed a Flagrant Foul 2 and ejected and Johnson whistled for a technical foul and ejected in the incident, which occurred with 5:53 to play in the fourth quarter of Atlanta’s 116-93 loss to the Heat on Wednesday in Miami.

NBA executive vice president for basketball operations Kiki VanDeWeghe said Prince was fined for “forcefully pulling down Heat centre Hassan Whiteside” and Johnson for “escalating the situation in retaliation by throwing a forearm into the chest of Prince.”

After grabbing an offensive rebound, Whiteside tried to go back up but was fouled hard by Prince. Johnson was the first Heat player to run over and shove Prince.