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Referee Wendy Mumbi officiates a Kenyan Basketball Premier League match at Nyayo Gymnasium, on June 6. [Stafford Ondego, Standard]
Reigning Kenya Basketball Federation (KBF) Men’s Premier League champions Nairobi City Thunder are just one step away from successfully defending their crown.
However, they had to weather a ferocious storm at the Coast over the weekend to inch closer to retaining their title and extending their reign to three years in a row.
In a bruising, high-stakes battle of titans, Thunder fought gallantly against their hosts and former champions, Kenya Ports Authority (KPA), to carve out a commanding 2-0 lead in the final best-of-five series.
They secured a hard-fought 72-63 win over the relentless Dockers, leaving Gymnasium with a two-game cushion ahead of game three, set for Friday at Nyayo Gymnasium.
This was after their game one 78-67 win in overtime. Yet, the scoreboard fails to capture the sheer desperation KPA brought to the court. The former champions pushed the high-flying Thunder to the absolute brink, threatening to shatter their iconic historic unbeaten streak that now spans three seasons.
Game One set a vicious tone as the Dockers went toe-to-toe with the champions, who would show their championship pedigree by staging a masterclass performance in a nerve-wracking overtime period to finally break the deadlock.
Refusing to back down, KPA returned for Game Two with fire in their eyes and threw everything they had at the defending champions. While Thunder ultimately prevailed to take the series to a stranglehold, the victories did not come easy.
KPA’s unwavering resilience proved that they are not ready to let Thunder have their way without a proper fight. With the trophy within reach, Thunder will be looking to end the series with a clean sweep when they host the Dockers from Friday at Nyayo, while their wounded opponents will be out to save their campaign.
In the women’s Premier League battle, defending champions KPA, former holders Equity Hawks, Th3 Swish and Stanbic Aces are the last four teams left in competition.
KPA will take on Th3 Swish Basketball Club, who made it to the league semi-finals for the first time after defeating Strathmore University Swords 2-1 in the quarter-finals best-of-three series. The Dockers, on the other hand, had dismissed Safe Spaces 2-0 in their last eight duel.
The Swish will welcome KPA at Nyayo starting on Wednesday and Thursday for Game One, and Two then travel to Makande for Game Three this Saturday.
Equity Hawks will face off with Stanbic Aces in the other semi-final series that begins on Saturday at Nyayo. Hawks defeated last season’s silver medalists Zetech University Sparks 2-0 in the quarters.
However, Stanbic Aces had an easy way into the semis after benefiting from two walkovers thanks to their opponents, Eldonets Ladies.