Basketball: Oketch rallies Kisumu Lakeside to stay woke ahead of Umoja test

Lakeside head coach Dismas Oketch (right) during a past KBF Premier League action at Manyatta Arabs in Kisumu.[Washington Onyango,Standard]

Kisumu Lakeside head coach Dismas Oketch has rallied his players to keep working hard and maintain their momentum as the KBF Premier League gathers pace.

Lakeside moved up to sixth in the standings after picking three points over the weekend in Nairobi where they defeated Umoja 46-43 and lost to Strathmore Blades 71-66.

Speaking to Standard Sports, Oketch said he is pleased with the team's development but called for calm since the work is far from done.

“It's always tough on us playing away. As a self-sponsored team we need to minimize cost something that makes us not have ample time for rest after travelling.”

“The boys are now enjoying the game and are sharing the ball well. We got three points this weekend and we are back to training. Everybody has to pull up since it is by winning matches both at home and on the road that will take us to the playoffs,” said Oketch.

The coach said they will be ready for Umoja whom they defeated over the weekend.

“We have Umoja at home this weekend and travelling to Mombasa the next weekend. We've had a good run of games and we will keep working on improving on the team. Lakeside basketball is a big brand in the lake region and we want to show people out here how big we are,” he added.

Lakeside are sixth in the 12-team log with 22 points with six matches to go.