Kisumu All Stars rally to hit Maseno Dukes for 1-1 parity

Dave Simon of Kisumu All Stars (right) in action against Baylakers. [Washington Onyango]

Last year’s finalists Kisumu All Stars rallied from behind to share a win apiece against Maseno Dukes and tie the 2019 Kisumu County Basketball League (KCBL) best-of-five finals series 1-1 at Maseno University over the weekend.

Maseno Dukes made a bright start in their bid to win their first ever KCBL title after a narrow 63-62 win over Kisumu All Stars in Game One.

The hosts took a 24-12 first quarter lead with sharp shooting Charles Anjejo and Allan Kibira leading the onslaught.

Oliver Nyawanda and Trevor Gari would, however, respond strongly in the second quarter for the visitors as All Stars strolled to a 21-10 win before Maseno once again took the third quarter 22-16.

A low 12-7 score in the fourth quarter saw the Maseno University side complete a dream start to the final playoffs as they won 63-62.

All Stars returned the favour with a 72-68 win in Game Two to tie the series at 1-1 with Dan Otieno, David Simon and Trevor Gari firing from all corners for the visitors.

All Star’s Gari scored a combined game high 44 points in Game One and Two with Kibira of Maseno coming second with 34 points. Speaking after the draw, All Stars head coach Erick Mwoki praised his charges for stepping up in Game Two after a slow start.

“We are missing some of our key players due to personal commitments and a few injuries but I am glad we responded well especially after losing Game One. We are now confident we can work around our opponents and win the remaining matches,” he said.

His Maseno counterpart Felix Anguko, however, believes they can still win the series.

 “We had a very bright start but relaxed during game two where we allowed Allstars a lot of space and they punished us. Despite that, I believe the series is still open and we can win it ,” he said.

Games Three and Four will be played on December 28 at the Jomo Kenyatta Sports Ground.