Nairobi City Thunder carry momentum to Game Two of KBF final play-offs

By  Ayumba Ayodi

Correspondent

NMG Sport

What you need to know:

• Nairobi City Thunder went into the match riding the wave of an unbeaten record of 87 matches.
• The winners of the best-of-five final series will represent Kenya in Basketball African League (BAL). 

Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) host champions Nairobi City Thunder in a potentially-explosive Game Two of the Kenya Basketball League (KBF) Men’s Premier League finals on Sunday evening at Makande Gymnasium in Mombasa.

KPA are out to level the best-of-five final series, having pushed the defending champions to the limit before losing Game One 76-67 on Saturday evening at Makande Gymnasium.

On Saturday, KPA seemed to have contained Thunder and were only three seconds away from ending the defending champions’ unbeaten run in three seasons before collapsing spectacularly to allow Thunder claw their way back into the match and grab victory.

It is the sort of result that left KPA fans wondering what could have been in the match pitting the two giants of Kenyan basketball. 

Nairobi City Thunder went into the match riding the wave of an unbeaten record of 87 matches stretching three consecutive seasons.

Nairobi City Thunder were ahead 54-47 in the fourth quarter, with less than five minutes remaining, and Jasson Keseng scored a basket for KPA to reduce the margin to 54-49. 

Then Jake ‘The Chosen One’ Brownlee struck twice for KPA, the last effort coming via a dunk to give his team a 55-54 lead. 

That effort sent the partisan crowd at Makande Gymnasium in Mombasa into ecstasy and for a moment, victory seemed so near for the home team.

10-match losing streak

But Thunder had other ideas. Tom Wamukota reclaimed the lead for Thunder and put the scores at 56-55.

But Keseng and Lennox Wanje hit back almost immediately, combining to put KPA ahead 59-56 with three seconds to go.

The match was stopped for a few minutes after the home crowd poured onto the court in celebration. KPA were on the verge of sealing their first victory against Nairobi City Thunder after a 10-match losing streak. 

Thunder’s skipper, Tylor Ongwae, took possession of the ball and teed up Eugene Adera who, after a smooth rotation, accelerated on the left flank to sink in a three-pointer, levelling the game for his team at 59-59. 

Moments later, the buzzer sounded, signalling the end of the game.

The teams went into a five-minute extra time during which Nairobi City Thunder stamped its authority over the hosts.  

As KPA fizzled out, Thunder grew in confidence.  Adera and Favour Dikong scored multiple points for Thunder, and their team mate Ongwae scored a three-pointer as the champions won 76-67 to stretch their unbeaten run to 88 matches.

It remains to be seen what coach Robert Mugabe’s pep talk with his KPA players will yield in the match as he seeks to motivate his players after blowing away a big moment to end Thunder’s dominance on the local scene.

Nairobi City Thunder will host Game Three and Four in Nairobi. The winners will represent Kenya in Basketball African League (BAL). 

Nairobi City Thunder have represented Kenya in BAL in the last two seasons, reaching the Conference stage.

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