KPA fall to REG, set must-win clash against Les Hippos to qualify
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Reading Time: 3min | Sat. 15.11.25. | 09:55
The final match, scheduled for Saturday, from 5 PM pits Rwandese champions REG against rivals APR, both already qualified, a derby promising edge-of-the-seat action
Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) Women's Basketball League Africa (WBLA) return chances hang in the balance after the Antony Ojukwu-coached side played for a 62-45 loss to Rwanda Energy Group (REG) in Friday night's Semis.
Their qualification chances now rely on Saturday's third-place match against Burundi's Les Hippos, from 2:30 PM as the winner completes the trio that will be heading to Cairo, Egypt next month for the continental showpiece.
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KPA had lost their last group match to APR before meeting their counterparts in the Semis but head coach Ojukwu had remained adamant that it was a slip and they would be able to handle the second Rwandese side.
REG, however, played a massive third quarter against the seemingly hapless host side, outscoring them 23-6 to all but sealed victory and a place in this year's WBLA.
The Rwandese champions had restricted KPA to 12 points in the second and third quarter to lead by as many as 21 points with Kayana Traylor leading the charge with 18 points.
"It is a hard loss but we are hopeful and focusing on winning tomorrow. We take the loss as players and promise better. The first and second quarter were fine but in the third everything went haywire. Something went wrong, which I cannot pinpoint, but it did and we couldn't recover.
We will try and rest, prepare mentally, and hope to find a solution for our third quarter execution, as we have lost twice due to slumps in that period," KPA forward Betty Kananu offered.
It was a quick start for the hosts as they pulled away for 9-2, capitalising on some costly turnovers but REG fought to come close at 12-9. KPA added four to stretch their advantage to 7 points.
Kristina King shot from range for 18-15 with 6:14 to play in the second quarter, a fastbreak layups from Lamla Umunezero making it a one-point game. The Rwandese champions took the lead at 20-18 and again at 23-22 as the host's ball handling plugged them into problems.
For more than five minutes of the third quarter, KPA couldn't find their footing, going scoreless as the opponent frustrated their efforts, running the scores for 33-22. Chantal Kiyobe led the onslaught again her former side, scoring the 11 in a 23-6 stanza, that left KPA with a 17-point mountain to climb in the final quarter that ended 17-16 in their favour.
"We knew from the beginning it will be a tough match as KPA is a good team, and it was. We played good defense and played as a team for this win. We had a lot of turnovers in the first half and once we had that handled we played better in the second. It feels good to qualify for the WBLA again.
We want to take the trophy home and that's the focus now. We just need to stick to our game plan, play as a team and remain solid on defense," REG forward Kiyobe said.
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