Kenya Ports Authority men and women basketball teams lead teams into the quarter-final play-offs of the National Classic Basketball League, which kick off this weekend in Mombasa, Nairobi and Kakamega.
The dockers, who topped the table standings at the end of the regular season, face modest opposition against teams that finished in position eight in the newly introduced eight-team play-offs.
During the final round of the league matches last weekend, KPA men and women collected maximum points from their two weekend fixtures after the women hit KCA University 64-32 and Eastern Queens 85-59 on Saturday and Sunday.
Walk-over
Eastern Queens, who must be ruing the walk-over they gave to KCA University in a match they failed to honour at home in Meru, are second with 28 points, Eagle Wings are third with the same number of points while newcomers KCA University are fourth with 23 points.
USIU (21 points), Yana (21), Storms (21) and Strathmore University (20) complete the top eight teams in the play-offs.
KPA men on the other hand beat ICC 92-52 on Saturday and got a walk-over from Lomboritz on Sunday to complete the season in position one with 30 points followed by KCB who have 28 points while International Christian Centre are third with 26 points.
Cooperative Bank are fourth with 25 points followed by Posta (24), Strathmore University (23), USIU (23) and Lomboritz (18).
Against Eastern Queens, who had beaten them by over 25 points in the first-leg match in Nairobi, KPA were all over their opponents particularly in the first quarter when Eastern Queens had no answer to the form of Yvvone Akinyi, Agnes Anyango and Millicent Anyango whose combined efforts saw KPA lead 31-11 in the first quarter.
Eastern Queens coach Abel Nson, who shuffled his starting five in the entire first half, could not reduce the gap in the second quarter, which KPA dominated to lead 16-10 for a comfortable 47-21 half-time score.
Things were, however, different in the third quarter when Hilda Luvandwa and Mitchel Otinda started to nail the three pointers that saw them win the third quarter 21-18 before losing the fourth 17-20 in a game that was already sealed by half time.
Ineligible player
Eastern Queens, however, appealed against the results arguing that KPA had fielded an ineligible player, Salma Akinyi, who is a registered player with Eagle Wings.
Queens chairman Chris Kinyua said Akinyi, a Form Three student at Shimba Hills School, had played for Wings and had no yet been released as required by the rules prior to joining KPA mid this year.
Eagle Wings coach, Smarts Olumbo, when contacted for comment confirmed that Akinyi was still their player adding that he still has her card and intended to field her in the play-offs when schools are closed.“We respect the fact that Salma Akinyi is a student and would want her to complete her secondary school education. That is why we have not been fielding her when schools are in session,” Olumbo said, and blamed KPA for fielding her without securing her release.
KPA Coach Anthony Ojukwu admitted that Akinyi was an Eagle Wings player but insists she was not fielded last year and therefore he could not see the reason for officially securing her release.