Ulinzi Warriors settle for silver as East African Cup action concludes

Former Kenya Basketball Federation (KBF) men's league champions Ulinzi Warriors are the 2025 East African Basketball Championship Cup (EABCC) silver medalists after falling 88-61 to Burundi's Les Hippos.

The victory for the Burundians makes it two titles in as many editions for the nation, Remesha having won the inaugural event held last year in December.

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Warriors, the only Kenyan side that had not beefed up its league squad for the Zone Five competition, were unbeaten heading into the final. The Bernard Mufutu-coached military side had stunned a star-studded Umoja Basketball 68-64 in the Semis to book the final.

"Hippos were the better side. They had the size and wingspan and their outside game was good. They had the extra pass, are patient on the ball and had taller point guards who are dangerous from outside.

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Their rebounding was also good and we really struggled to settle into the game in the first quarter. A 18-point deficit early left us playing catch up the entire match, and that was our main undoing," Warriors skipper John Washika offered.

Warriors endured a difficult start defensively, allowing the Burundians a 17-3 run that set the up for catch-up play, despite dropping a few more baskets for 22-12. They, however, slacked in the closing minutes of the quarter to trail 29-12 after the opening 10 minutes.

The soldiers were behind 34-16 two minutes into the second stanza as Hippos continued to run a tight ship on their paint, giving the hosts all manner of trouble. Clement Karabona did most of the work for the Burundians, leading them to a 40-16 advantage with four minutes to play.

A 12-point run for the military side cut their deficit to 16 points (44-28) with over a minute on the clock in the second stanza, and coach Patrick Nkurunziza side needed to regroup.

Warriors missed four times from the charity stripe with Jonathan Monze Nzamba's lay-up and Ludolphe Munobogo's mid-range jumper, off a loose ball on the paint, took the match to 48-28, a 20-point mountain for Warriors to climb in the second half.

There's was little Ulinzi could do in the second half to turn around Hippo's 20-point advantage as the side continued to dominate in quarters of 16-13 and 24-20 for the convincing victory.

"We have picked lessons here heading to the new season, especially in the final where Burundi's playing style challenged us. The championship was also an opportunity for the squad to gel as we had struggled with that last season. I believe we will come back stronger for the new season," Washika added.

All Tournament Team

Point Guard- Robin Clark Dushime (Les Hippos)

Shooting Guard- Brans Nzioka (Ulinzi Warriors)

Small Forward- Faheem Juma (Umoja)

Power Forward- Romis Bujeje (Les Hippos)

Centre- Cisco George (Stein Warriors)

Individual Awards

Most Valuable Player - Romis Bujeje (Les Hippos)

Top Rebounder- Romis Bujeje (Les Hippos)

Top Scorer- Faheem Juma (Umoja)

Best 3-Point Shooter - Salim Kisilu (KPA)