KPA, Equity chasing unbeaten runs as AWBL qualifier group-stage concludes

After four days of action, wheat has been separated from the chaff with group-stage matches at the ongoing Africa Women Basketball League (AWBL) Zone Five qualifiers concluding on Wednesday, November 1 to pave way for the knock-out stages.

In group A, Kenya's Equity Bank Hawks and Armée Patriotique Rwandaise Basketball Club (APR) clash in the final group match to decide who tops the group as Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) look to complete their unbeaten run to top group B. 

Antony Ojukwu's KPA play Nile Legends in their final group clash and are clear favourites against the South Sudanese side. The dockers opened their account with a 82-72 win over Uganda’s JKL Lady Dolphins before seeing off Tanzania’s Jeshi la Kujenga Taifa (JKT) 105-43.

In their third match of the competition played on Tuesday, against hosts Rwanda Energy Group (REG), the dockers tied on 13 points in the first quarter but were more clinical in the other three quarters going 19-06, 17-16 and 23-07 for a 72-42 victory. 

KPA, who lost the Zone Five title to Alexandria Sporting of Egypt last year and are looking to reclaim their title and book a ticket to the AWBL, had Madina Okot pushing their numbers in the 35.27 minutes she played, dropping 19 points and a similar number of rebounds in the win. 

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Victoria Reynolds gave a good account of herself, contributing a game and team-high 20 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds and four steals while Morgan Greene added 10 points to the tally. 

“So far the players have executed our game plans perfectly and we intend to the same fight to our last group match and end on a high before plotting for the crucial knock-out stage. The target is to reclaim the title and we are taking it one match at a time in this quest,” Ojukwu said after Tuesday’s win.

Meanwhile, Equity Hawks, who won their opening match 98-66 against Tanzanian champions Vijana Queens, played for a 77-45 victory against Burundi's Gladiators on Tuesday. 

The Benson Oluoch-coached bankers had an arguably slow start, going 10-6 ahead in the opening five minutes, but found themselves chasing the game in the second part of the quarter, after allowing a seven-point scoring streak for Galdiaotors. The Kenyan side leveled the score at 16 points at the conclusion of the period. 

In the match that witnessed nine lead changes and the two sides tied on four occasions, Equity seemed to have found their rhythm in the second period, running the scores against Gladiators for a 21-10 outcome that gave them an 11-point cushion going into the break. 

Action in the second half followed a similar pattern to the first, with the Burundi side maintaining a tight grip on the action defensively in the third quarter for a 13-9 outcome in favour of the Kenyans, only to seemingly crumble in the final stanza for 27-10 and the 32-point loss. 

Grace Malu, playing for just over 27 minutes managed 19 points, 9 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 assists, combining with Christine Akinyi (16), Betty Kananu (13), and Melissa Otieno (10) for the day's double-digit scorers in the win. Vallarie Kemunto pulled down 10 rebounds to lead the stats. 

The quarters' pairings will see the top-placed side in pool A take on the fourth-place finisher in pool B. A2 takes on B3, A3 plays B2 as A4 faces off with B1. Only one team, the fifth-placed side in pool B will sit out the knock-out stages.

Wednesday fixtures:

1300- Nile Legends (SSD) vs K.P.A (KEN)

1530 - Vijana Queens vs Gladiators (BDI)

1800 - A.P.R (RWA) vs Equity Bank (KEN)

2030 - J.K.L (UGA) vs REG (RWA)