KBFplayoffs: Hawks claw KPA for a commanding 2-0 lead

Coach Ben Oluoch's charges Equity Bank Hawks are proving a tough nut to crack for Kenya Basketball Federation (KBF) women’s league champions Kenya Ports Authority (KPA).  

The two sides are locked in a best-of-five playoff final series that has the bankers leading 2-0 after a 67-62 Game One win on Saturday and clutch victory in Game Two on Sunday in a 66-64 outcome. 

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In Game One, Hawks took care of business, punishing KPA for their lacklustre ball handling, scoring 34 points off of the dockers' turnovers against a run of just 9 for the holders.

The bankers also dominated on the paint outscoring Antony Ojukwu's charges 42-28 while also leading the stats in fast breaks in a 16 against 8 outcome. 

While stats don't lie, it was not as easy a match for Hawks as it would look like from the numbers as there were 11 lead changes and seven ties in the 40 minutes of play.

In Game Two, the dockers had a good start, going ahead 20-16 in the first quarter. However, everything went wrong for Ojukwu's charges in the second period as Oluoch's charges rallied for a 20-08 performance, taking an 8-point advantage to the half time break. 

KPA's comeback attempt in the second half quarters of 21-17 and 15-13 was too little too late and they head to their home court in unfamiliar territory. 

In the men's league, Nairobi City Thunder continue their unbeaten run, taking a 2-0 lead against KPA men. 

In Game One, KPA gave away a double digits lead to lose 73-70 and failed in their comeback attempt in Game Two, settling for a 59-50 loss, all on the last five minutes of the match as the two sides tied on 45 points halfway through the last stanza. 

Games Three to Five are set for next weekend with the men's clash set for Nyayo while the women’s series heads to Makande.