Kiki confident KPA will finish league on a high ahead of playoffs

On the weekend, as former champions Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) faced off with Equity Bank in a Kenya Basketball Federation (KBF) men's league, the dockers had to dig deep for a 63-57 victory. 

Head coach Sammy Kiki was left unimpressed by his charges' handling of the match, but for the final quarter where they got their act together to score 23 points against the bankers' 13 for the six-point win, after chasing the match for the better part of the game.

However, Kiki expressed confidence in his Mombasa-based side completing the regular season on a high with wins in remaining matches to head to the playoffs as the best-placed team on the log.

"We are yet to play in Mombasa against Umoja, Kenya College of Accountancy-University (KCA-U), Kisumu Lakeside and Embakasi Youth (EMYBA) who have not been active since the league resumed. Our return match with holders Ulinzi Warriors in Nairobi is also pending. 

We were also set to play Eldonets on 20 October in Mombasa but they did not travel and if they had written to the federation asking for a postponement we will play them too before concluding our regular season," explained Kiki. 

Against Equity, the dockers kept the score even at ten and 13 scores in the first and second quarters for the stalemate heading to the break. 

Upon resumption, it was a see-saw, with Equity often with the advantage as they scored 21 points against KPA's 17 for the four-point difference going into the final period. The tables turned and this time, it was KPA piling the pressure on Carey Odhiambo's charges and they cracked under the pressure. 

"The first three quarters are not what KPA is known for. We are better than that and the final quarter showed that. The intensity in training also worked to our advantage as Equity looked tired in the final period but my players did not show signs of fatigue and were able to control the game for the first six minutes of the final quarter

In the remaining matches, I expect a similar display as any slip ups would mean losing out position on the regular league log," added Kiki.