The stage is set for a fierce battle as Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) square it out with Armée Patriotique Rwandaise (APR) in the quarter-finals of the 2025 Women Basketball League Africa (WBLA) in Cairo, Egypt.
The dockers go into the match wounded from their WBLA Zone Five 81-71 defeat to the Rwandese army which saw them finish second in their pool.
The loss set the dockers against APR’s compatriots Rwanda Energy Group (REG) who also beat them in the semis, denying them an automatic qualification to the continental contest.
The Kenyan champions will be looking to turn the tables and avenge their suffering at the hands of the Rwandese outfits.
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Both sides finished second in their respective pools, hence ranking third and fourth to set the duel.
KPA finished second in Group B behind defending champions Ferroviario de Maputo from Mozambique, while APR were second in Group C, having lost one match to Senegal’s ASC Ville de Dakar who topped the group.
The dockers, however, will be wary of the Charles Mushumba-coached side that rallied from 18 points down to beat them by 10 points thanks to a brilliant show from Kamba Yoro Diakite who has continued to shine at the WBLA.
Diakite, Italee Lucas and Yacine Diop, who troubled the dockers at Nyayo Gymnasium, have remained solid keeping APR in the competition.
APR will also be keen that their Zone Five triumph was not a fluke even as they look to upgrade their 2024 WBLA bronze medal.
KPA on the other hand will pray that their playmaker Allexxus Johnson stays out of foul trouble.
Coach Nabil Kabalan will also bank on Sara Nicole Dickey, Aminata Semassekou, Alima Doumbia, Mercy Wanyama, captain Natalie Mwangale and Betty Kananu.
If KPA dismiss APR, they will play the winner of the Caisse Nationale de Sécurité Sociale (CNSS) and hosts Al Ahly Sporting Club.
Kabalan will be hoping that his work in training bears fruit and help his side overpower APR. In an interview after their defeat to Ferroviario, Kabalan said they would review their performance and rectify their mistakes.
“We have to fix our mistakes because I think we were not moving the ball quite fast on the half court. I think we can make it easier and make less turnovers. We need to work on this in our next training.”
Buoyed by home advantage, Al Ahly topped Group A after winning all their matches, while CNSS advanced as one of the best losers having ranked in the top eight.