KPA dock Benin champions Elan Cotton at Basketball Africa League

Yves Louis (center) of Ellon Cotton attempts to score at the rim during their match against KPA.[BAL]

Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) on Friday bounced back to winning ways at the ongoing Road to 2024 Basketball Africa League (BAL) games in Tanzania after hammering Benin champions Elan Cotton 68-48.

The Kenya Basketball Federation (KBF) Premier League champions begun the East Division Qualifiers on the back foot after going down to Burundi’s Dynamo BBC75-63 on Thursday.

With the winner of the group qualifies automatically to the Elite 16 round of the East Division to be held in Johannesburg, South Africa from November 14-19, the Kenyan champions needed to win all their remaining matches to stand a chance of qualifying for the next stage.

KPA began the first quarter rather tight after leading 15-14 before going to half time with a nine-point lead after a 20-12 dominant show in the second quarter.

A 13-11 and 20-11 performances in the third and fourth quarters sealed KPA’s first win in Dar es Saalam.

Bright Osagie Akhuetie scored a game high 14 points and nine rebounds followed by Luqman Leon Lundy and Tyronne Maliek Jordan both with 12 points to lead KPA to victory.

On the other hand, Yves-Louis Ngaransou led Elan Cotton with 12 points followed by Asshe Stéphane Auguste with 10 points.

Securing the services of French tactician Guy Arnaud alongside four key players in Lugman Lundy, Tyronne Jordan (USA), Abdoulaye Haidara (Mali), Bright Akhuetie (Nigeria), and Kenyan international Ariel Okall seem to have started to work.

KPA who are in Group C of the that also has Dynamo BBC of Burundi, Benin champions Elan Cotton, and Pazi BBC of Tanzania will face the hosts next.

At the inaugural edition held in 2019, KPA got their Road to BAL campaign off in style winning all their four matches to finish top.

They earned a ticket to the Elite 16 in Kigali where the Mombasa-based side defeated Ferroviaro de Maputo (Mozambique) 79-67 and Cobra Sports 83-53 but bowed out in the group stage, having missed their opening fixture against City Oilers (Uganda).

KPA made a return for the 2022 edition, booking an Elite 16 place after beating Djabal Basket Iconi (Comoros) 120-37 before losing 66-60 to hosts Club Omnisports de la Police (COSPN) in the qualifiers held in Antananarivo.

The Elite 16 hosted in Johannesburg saw the dockers go winless to exit the competition in the group stage.

KPA Squad: Job Byron, Ty Jordan, Luqman Lundy, Akhuetie Bright, Lennox Wanje, Martin Kitongo, Benjamin Muga, Tobias Odhiambo, Haidara Abdoulaye, Eugene Adera, Gerry Wekesa, Brian Sivachi, Ariel Okal.