Basketball: The Kenyan ladies prove their worth

Yvone Akinyi (left) of KPA attempts to block as Sarah Chan (right) of USIU Flames tries to pass the ball to her team-mate during their Kenya Basketball Federation national league at the KPA Makande GYM, June 201, 2016. USIU Flames who are the current league champions, lost 57-83. [PHOTO BY GIDEON MAUNDU/STANDAARD].

KPA show might in regional tourney

The dockers successfully defend the championship title.

Once again, Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) women’s side has proved they are a force to reckon with when it comes to regional basketball championships.

This was evident after the dockers successfully defended the 2017 Fiba Africa Zone V Clubs Basketball Championships that concluded at the Lugogo Indoor Arena in Kampala, Uganda, on Saturday night.

KPA managed to retain the title they won last year in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on superior goal differences after finishing on 11 points apiece alongside Equity Bank Hawks and Uganda Christian University (UCU) Lady Canons.

On their way to bagging the overall victory, KPA were edged 69-68 by UCU but thrashed Equity 61-47, Horseed (Somalia) 85-32, KCCA (Uganda), Don Bosco (Tanzania) 93-43 and APR (Rwanda) 75-51.

And for the second year running, KPA managed to produce the Most Valuable Player (MVP), Natalie Akinyi, who was also named the Best Point Guard.

The victory has granted KPA the leeway to represent the zone at the continental women’s championships in Angola in November alongside runners-up Equity Bank.

“We had a bad start in the championships when we fell to UCU in our opening match, the good thing is I don’t lose, I take the losses as lessons to rectify my next encounters,” KPA head coach Anthony Ojukwu stated.

Equity too deserves praise for making Kenya proud in the Kampala championships for finishing second overall in their debut.

Equity produced the Best Power Forward, Mercy Wanyama, sister to Victor Wanyama.