Agnes Naliaka scored 10 points as Kenya Ports Authority women’s team beat Eagle Wings 70- 56 in Game one of the best of three national basketball league play off finals at Makande Gym in Mombasa on Saturday
The home side outscored the visitors in the opening three quarters with 26-16, 16-13 and 19-18 before conceding the final one 9-16.
Anastacia Njeri scored a game high 21 points for Eagle Wings while Angela Akoth weighed in with 10. Velma Naliaka and Yvonne Akinyi had seven each
In Kakamega, Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology yesterday made a good start in the men’s basketball Division One league play-offs final when they beat Nairobi-based Blazers 95-65 in Game One at the Kakamega Police Canteen.
The two teams which face off again in Game Two of the best-of-three series final in Nairobi next Saturday, have already qualified for the next year’s Premier League by virtue of having sailed into the 2009 play-offs final.
MMUST, who knocked out Parklands Baptist 2-0 in the semi-final, had an easy run in the first quarter in which they led 22-12. Blazers, who fought from a game down to eliminate Kenya College of Accountancy 2-1 in the semis, resisted the pressure from the home tea m to lead 25-15 in the second quarter.
Heavily punished
Both teams exhibited a top class game which saw them tie the scores 37-37 at half-time. It was in the third and fourth quarters in which the students heavily punished Blazers 28-8 and 30-20 to carry the day. Alex and Fred Lugasi brothers scored 22 points for MMUST. Kenneth Keya had 25 and Donald Ogolla 17 for the losers.
In Nairobi at the Nyayo Stadium, Eastern Queens finished third in the women’s Premier League after beating Flames of the USIU-A 66-54 in the third and fourth position play-off tie.
Hilda Luvandwa scored game-high 13 points for Queens, who raced a 36-25 half-time lead. Queens, failed to qualify for the final in their first attempt after Eagle Wings beat them 2-1.
They had forced the decisive GameThree after winning Game Two 50-48.
Flames had no answer losing 2-0 to champions Kenya Ports Authority in the semi-final held in Mombasa.
Nairobi Pentecostal Church grabbed the seventh position in the men’s Division One league when they were awarded a 20-0 walk-over against Mennonites, who failed to show up for their seventh and eighth position classification play-offs match.