KPA TACKLE CO-OP: KBF women play-offs throw off at Nyayo today

Mercy Etyang (centre) of Co-op Bank attempts to make her way through Celine Okumu (left) and team-mate Natalie Akinyi (right) of KPA during a KBF national basketball league match at the KPA Makande GYM, October 31, 2016. KPA won 61-51. [PHOTO BY GIDEON MAUNDU/STANDARD].

Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) women team take on a resurgent Co-op Bank in Game One of the Kenya Basketball Federation (KBF) Premier League semis play-offs at Nyayo National Stadium today.

KPA will be looking to follow in the footsteps on the men’s team who destroyed defending champions Ulinzi Warriors 3-1 at the same venue on Jamhuri Day.

The dockers undoubtedly come to the grudge match against Co-op Bank with lots of experience gained from the 22nd Fiba Africa Women’s Clubs Basketball Championship in Maputo, Mozambique.

KPA together with the United States International University (USIU) represented Kenya in Maputo, and ended the continental championship in seventh place overall after sailing to the quarter finals.

USIU did not make it beyond the group stage.

Following their exposure at the Fiba Africa Zone V Clubs Basketball Championship in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and at the continental event in Maputo, it will be evidently hard for KPA to relinquish the play-offs slot to another side hence Co-op Bank should brace for a bruising battle.

KPA assistant coach Phillip Onyango noted that his side is out to win the KBF trophy currently being held by USIU who edged them in the play-offs last year.

“We are leaving nothing to chance as we are out to win this trophy so Co-op Bank should be ready for cutthroat competition,” Onyango said.

“We had a number of missions this year, the initial one was to lift the Fiba Africa Zone V Clubs trophy which we did, to improve on our performance at the continental level and now is to sail to the finals and ultimately win the KBF trophy,” Onyango said.

At the same time, USIU head coach George Mayienga has declared total war as they commence title defence.

USIU will take on Equity Bank in the other women’s semi and it will be a great joy for Mayienga if the students halt the bankers to make it to the finals.

“We are going to take each match at a time until we sail through, our hope is to successfully defend the trophy,” Mayienga said.

Mayienga said they have put their woes in Maputo aside and the focus now is on the domestic league.

“Maputo was very competitive. Even though we didn’t go past the group stages, my players gained exposure and we are ready for the play-offs,” he said.