Warriors in KBF men's league final thanks to magical Juma

It was a team effort, but Vincent Juma's buzzer beater that sent the Kenya Basketball Federation (KBF) title holders Ulinzi Warriors to Over Time in a match against Strathmore Blades and eventually to the final will not be forgotten anytime soon. 

In a match that Warriors had trailed until the last second of the match, no one thought the soldiers stood a chance, having been over 20 points behind at some point in the match. However, they clawed back and needed a trey to equal the score with one second knee the clock. 

With Juma the unlikely recipient of the ball, one second left on the clock, the Blades brigade concentrated on guarding Ancet Wafula and Joshua Okumu who were seen as threat as Victor Bosire assumed inbounding duties on the side. 

Juma stood tall, unmarked and when he received the ball from Bosire he had no time to think about anything, his feet slightly leaving the ground just as he released his shot. 

As the ball hit the board and back on to the basket for an equalizing three-point shot, Warriors were already in celebratory mode on the other end of the court while Blades flooded the referees booth to argue their case that the time should have long expired. 

"I hit threes at will in training so when we went for the timeout, it was agreed that I take the ball. The opponent expected a different play and our plan worked as they did not try to guard me. I am not surprised that the ball went in, it was not luck as many would think," said Juma after the match. 

The William Balozi-coached side, without one of their key players Eric Mutoro who had to sit the match out for drawing two un-sportsman fouls in Game Two started their Game Three campaign on a low. 

The students led 7-19 at the end of the first quarter and extended their lead to 14 going into the half time break after scoring 21 against 19 in the second quarter. 

On resumption, the soldiers' performance slightly improved for a 24-21 win but that meant the students still held an 11-point lead going into the final period. 

Things changed in the final quarter. With Valentine Nyakinda having fouled out, the indefatigable Okumu was called to action and his presence on the court seemed to change the course of action. Bosire's three treys helped pull Warriors back in the game. 

With three minutes left on the clock, Warriors were still trailing by 11 points. Okumu scored eight, adding to Bosire's nine while David Ouma bagged a trey of his own with Byron Mabonga contributing two to see Warriors trail by three points at 79-76 with two seconds left and possession on the Blades side. 

Blades, coming off a timeout turned over possession from a line ball, giving Warriors a lifeline with one second to go. Balozi called for a timeout of his own and their game plan worked. 

With the students' confidence deflected, Warriors dominated the extra period's five minutes scoring 15 against Blades' seven for the win and a chance to defend their title. 

"We have won the playoff semis but we have some work to do. The next course of action is highly depended on whether the national team will be in action for the World Cup qualifiers as some of my players will then be away. However, we have to work on our floor spacing and boxout. We are still struggling in those areas and heading to the final against strong opposition demands that we do better," said coach Balozi.