By CAXTON APOLLO aayienga@ke.nationmedia.com
This year’s national basketball league regular season ends this weekend with 17 make-or-break matches in Nairobi, Mombasa, Kakamega and Nakuru.
Teams will be battling for a dramatic finish in the top eight positions in both men and women’s categories to qualify for the best-of-three quarter-final play-offs which will get underway in Nairobi next weekend.
The winners of the quarter-finals will advance to the semis and then finals to determine the 2010 league championship.
Hot favourites
Men's champions Kenya Commercial Bank Lions head the 12-team standings with 39 points and they must beat Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology in Kakamega on Saturday to be assured of the top spot.MMUST crashed 75-73 to Tigers of the USIU-A and lost again 67-65 to Strathmore University in the last outing in Nairobi.
The students now look set to pick up all the four points at home when they host the inconsistent KCB Lions before ending their busy programme against Terrorists on Sunday.
Eagle Wings, who are also hot favourites for the top positions in the women’s league, are up against Strathmore University on Friday.
Wings rocked Strathmore 84-33 in their mid-week tie to finish top on the table with 33 points. Kenya Ports Authority start as favourites to beat Sprite Storms in Mombasa tomorrow to grab the second position with 31 points.
Posta, a team to watch in the play-offs, beat rivals Co-operative Bank 69-59 to remain as top contenders for the runner-up position.
They are in second spot with 38 points, having won 17 matches and lost four, and victory against KPA in their last match at Makande gymnasium on Saturday will guarantee them the second position