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L. MathekaKPA pick positives in Warriors' loss
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Reading Time: 2min | Sun. 21.11.21. | 16:30
Kiki is looking to lead his charges to the title they last won in 2018.
Former Kenya Basketball Federation (KBF) men's league champions Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) lost their second match of the season in the hands of nemesis Ulinzi Warriors in a Saturday 20 November match.
Despite the 73-66 loss, coach Sammy Kiki says his side picked on lessons and areas to improve as the league transitions to the playoffs.
In the highly anticipated fixture, the last for Basketball Africa League (BAL)-bound Warriors dominated the first quarter scoring 27 while restricting the docker to 12.
The tables turned in the second quarter as Kiki's men came out guns blazing to score 22 against Warriors' ten for the march to head to the break with the soldiers holding the slight advantage.
The second half was evenly contested with KPA fighting to bridge the difference but the defending champions, who are set to play the final qualifying round for BAL next month proved a tough nut to crack winning both periods 18-15 and 18-17 for the seven-point victory.
"We had a slow start and after picking up momentum in the second quarter, we allowed Warriors scoring chances from outside the arc and on fast breaks. We missed numerous scoring chances on the paint that would have put us way ahead for victory.
As we shift our focus to the final match in Mombasa, the rescheduled fixture against Embakasi Youth (EMYBA) I am hoping to correct on those mistakes and play a better game. We need to be confident on the ball and avoid as many turnovers as was witnessed in the Warriors match," said Kiki.
The soldiers scored 22 from turnovers against KPA's 16 and 29 on fast break against 14. The dockers' strength was on their substitutes as the bench contributed 38 points against Warriors' 25.
Job Byron you scored in yhe match at 17 while Ken Wachira hit double digits at 14 for KPA while four of William Balozi's men managed double digits on points. James Mwangi led the scoring at 14 while Eric Mutoro and Victor Bosire made 13 and 11 respectively. Centre player William Ochieng contributed ten to the final tally.
Meanwhile, Warriors are looking to finish the regular league top of the table after two loses to Kisumu Lakeside and Nairobi City Thunder and will be building on their momentum ahead of their trip to Johannesburg for the BAL qualifiers.
The military side has three matches left, two against EMYBA whose points had already been awarded as walkovers but have since been rescheduled and a return match against Lakeside in Nairobi.
