Ulinzi pick Game One win as KBF semis get underway

Ulinzi Warriors overcame accusations of fielding an ineligible player in the playoffs and disqualification calls to win Game One of-five in KBF men semis against Strathmore Blades on Saturday evening. 

Valentine Nyakinda, is the player at the centre of the controversy. Aggrieved parties argued that the soldiers ought to have been shown the door as he the player had not achieved the three-match regular season requirement to feature in the playoffs. The federation has, however, clarified that he is eligible. 

Heading to the semis, the soldiers had completed a double against the varsity side and were the clear favourites in the fixture. 

From the onset, Warriors dominated the floor, scoring 24 points against the varsity side's 14, the ten-point lead proving to be a good buffer for the soldiers going forward. 

Tony Ochieng's charges, cut the advantage to six points heading to the half time break but the soldiers engaged the furst quarter gear on the third and final quarters to win the periods 24-16 and 22-12 for the 78-54. 

"I am happy with the team's performance in Game One and we will have the same game plan and work for another win on Sunday. That makes things easier for us in Game Three as we look to book our final slot," said Warriors' head coach William Balozi. 

On his part, Ochieng was not impressed with the level of officiating arguing that the referees should remain impartial. 

"The refs should do better. On our part, we had a poor start, recovered in the second quarter but were unable to sustain that momentum in the third and fourth periods. We go again on Sunday, hoping to correct our mistakes and level the series," said Ochieng. 

Meawhile, former champions Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) were subjected to their first loss in the playoffs, going down 64-54 to first time semi-finalists Equity Bank.