Thunder in unchartered waters, host KPA
By Lynette Matheka, September 28, 2019
With three weeks left to the conclusion of the Kenya Basketball Federation (KBF) regular league, Thunder, fighting for top place host holders Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) on Saturday afternoon in a critical clash whose outcome will largely determine the top four places in the men’s league.
Thunder need a win against the dockers to keep their hopes of finishing in pole position at the conclusion of the regular season alive, while the latter is in a fight for the third position ahead of the playoffs scheduled to jump off on October 25.
A win for the host will take the top place fight to the wire as their clash with Ulinzi Warriors, slated for Friday night, will determine the top place finisher.
Winning streak
Thunder, under the tutelage of Sadat Gaya, go into the clash with a 1-0 advantage over KPA this season having picked maximum points in Mombasa and are hoping to complete a double against the holders.
On their part, Sammy Kiki’s charges are buoyed by a revamped squad that has kept formula in the second leg, winning all their matches save for their meet with Ulinzi Warriors.
“We lost our home match to Thunder but at the time we were still rebuilding the team after the exit of eight players at the end of last season. Thunder is very strong offensively and we have to tweak our defence to tame their shooters and keep their numbers on the low.
We are also looking to use our speed to our advantage as we fight for a win,’ said Kiki.