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Reigning Eldoret Basketball League (EBL) regular-season leaders, Wepesi, edged Panthers 58-56 in a nail-biting opener of the best-of-three playoff series that tipped off at the weekend in Eldoret City. 

Business activities near the Sirikwa Pentecostal Fellowship (SPF) court, the match venue, nearly came to a standstill as basketball enthusiasts thronged the arena to witness the much-anticipated playoff action.

The packed schedule featured four men’s playoff games, including Storm Trooperz vs Calvary Warriors, Kimumu FC vs Kings, and defending champions SPF against Only Jesus Christ Saves (OJCS). 

Wepesi started strong, comfortably taking the first quarter against Panthers with a 23-12 lead.

However, a resurgent Panthers, under the tutelage of coach Kenneth Chemwok, bounced back in the second quarter, stunning Wepesi 13-8. 

Determined to reverse the setback, Wepesi, led by their player-coach Meshack Oloo, fondly known in EBL circles as “Dwayne”, rallied in the third quarter to win 21-13. Oloo scored an impressive 16 points, while teammate Israel Gathiari emerged as the top scorer with 19 points. 

Despite Wepesi’s dominance, Panthers put up a spirited fight in the final quarter, winning it 18-6.

Jevic Michira, Panthers’ top scorer, led the charge with 18 points, but his efforts fell just short as Wepesi narrowly triumphed 58-56. 

In another tightly contested matchup, OJCS pulled off a 74-69 upset against defending champions SPF.

OJCS coach Ricky Kipruto attributed the victory to disciplined execution despite some errors.

“We had a good matchup against SPF and executed most of what we had trained for. However, we created too many turnovers in the second and third quarters, which we must correct ahead of Game 2,” Kipruto shared. 

Elsewhere, Storm Trooperz defeated Calvary Warriors 70-61, while Kings edged out Kimumu FC 70-62 in other playoff games played on the same day at the SPF court. 

Chemwok, who also serves as an EBL official, revealed that the quarterfinal and semifinal stages will follow a best-of-three series format, while the finals will be decided in a best-of-five series to determine the 2024-2025 league champion.