Three top clubs lost their return leg matches as the battle for the 2009 men’s basketball Premier League play-offs qualification intensified at the Nairobi’s Nyayo Stadium and KPA Makande gymnasium at the weekend.
League leaders International Christian Centre, champions Kenya Commercial Bank Lions and former winners Co-operative Bank were the major casualties at the weekend.
ICC crashed 82-74 to Tigers of the United States International University, Co-op Bank lost 82-74 to Posta in Nairobi while KCB Lions suffered a 87-80 defeat at the hands of Kenya Ports Authority in Mombasa.
The dockmen completed a double against Lions, having won the first leg tie 77-69 away in Nairobi. Co-op Bank had beaten Posta 64-45 while ICC had also won against Tigers in the first leg encounter.
The winning teams had lost their opening matches to their opponents and avenging the defeat signifies that the championship had entered a competitive stage.
With eight teams qualifying for the post-season play-offs in the new format, it leaves only University of Nairobi’s Terrorist out of the post-season showcase.
Terrorists have only won one match and lost 11, a result which automatically knocks them out of the play-offs which determines the season’s champions.
ICC remained at the top of the table with 23 points despite losing carelessly to Tigers on Sunday. They have played 14 matches, won nine matches and lost five.
All the eight teams, except Terrorists, will sail into the play-offs and what they are fighting for is the better placing on the standings. The winners will get the advantage of playing the weakest team in the table, the eighth-placed.
Posta gave Co-op Bank a run for their money from the start before leading 41-31 at half-time in an explosive showdown. The bankers, who complained of poor officiating, had their four key players ejected as the mailmen built a 16-point margin at (56-40).
Ben Oluoch hit 23 points, William Ochieng’ had 17 and Desmond Owili added 13 for the winners. Bobby Okwako had 13 for the bankers.
ICC panicked at the critical moment, throwing away a six-point lead to lose 73-70 against Tigers.
The students, who have greatly improved in the second leg, had beaten Posta 83-77 and their second consecutive victory has placed them strategically to finish within the top five. Tigers went up 30-27 at half-time and had Chris Mulumba scoring 21 points and team mate Aron Chan 15.
Eastern Queens and Eagle Wings were locked up in a battle to clinch the first spot in the women’s competition by winning their matches at the weekend.
Kept record clean
Queens beat Yana 71-52 to stay at the top with 23 points. Eagle Wings kept their record clean in 12 matches with a 78-54 win over Flames of the USIU-A.
The four points saw Eagle Wings increase their points tally from 18 to 22. They beat Sprite Storms hands down 71-35 in their second tie.
Strathmore University denied Lomboritz all the four points, beating them again 72-62 in the second leg. The varsity students had earlier squeezed a narrow 61-60 win over their opponents in the first leg.
Blazers continued to a make a mark in the lower competition after defeating African Nazarene University 74-52.
ANU had lost 89-86 to Mennonites and will now require a miracle to move from the bottom of the nine-team standings. The students are winless in 15 matches.
Nakuru Club returned home empty-handed when their hosts, Parklands Baptist, rocked them 87-81. Parklands are on fire, having won a record of four matches in a row.
Full results
Eagle Wings 71 Sprite Storms 35, Parklands Baptist 87 Nakuru Club 81, Mennonite 89 ANU 86, Strathmore University 72 Lomboritz 62, Eastern Queens 71 Yana 52, ANU 52 Blazers 74, Eagle Wings 78 Flames of the USIU-A 54, ICC 70 Tigers 73, Posta 82 Co-op Bank 74, KPA 87 KCB Lions 80