KPA, Equity seal continental tickets
By Gibo.Zachary, November 24, 2021
Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) women’s basketball club and reigning Kenya Basketball Federation women’s league champions Equity Bank are through to this year’s Fiba Zone Five Africa Women’s Club Championship.
The duo proved too good for their opponents – hosts Tanzania, Burundi and Rwanda – in the ongoing championship qualifiers at the Dar es Salaam Indoor Stadium, both winning their opening four matches to seal their place in the continental tournament.
KPA achieved the feat after thrashing Gladiators of Burundi 83-40 on Monday evening, to make it four wins out of four.
“Yes, we now have the tickets, but we have to play for positions one and two. As KPA, we’re very happy to qualify but will be happier if we go as champions of Zone Five,” KPA coach Anthony Ojukwu Oloo told People Sport.
KPA started the tournament strongly, beating the Hoops of Rwanda 80-36 in the opening match on Friday last week before hammering hosts Don Bosco of Tanzania 70-21 in their second match on Saturday.
On Sunday, they stopped stubborn Reg of Rwanda 67-57 before sealing their place in the continental championship with a huge 83-40 win over Gladiators of Burundi in their fourth match on Monday to set up a meeting with local league nemesis Equity Bank.
Equity, on the other hand, also started the championship brightly, beating Rwanda Energy Group (Reg) 53-33 on Friday before being forced to dig deep to stop the Hoops of Rwanda 53-51 in their match on Saturday.
On Sunday the bankers dispatched Gladiators of Burundi 45-27 before thumbing hosts Don Bosco of Tanzania 76-36 on Monday evening to book their place in the continental championship.
Hunting ground
By the time of going to press, KPA and Equity were scheduled to face each other in an all-Kenyan affair in the fifth and final match of the championship.
Equity last won the zonal championship in 2018 and KPA the year before. KPA have won the championship nine times – three of them at the Dar es Salaam Indoor Stadium.
Coach Ojukwu believes the stadium has been a good hunting ground for him and he’s optimistic of winning again.