Basketball in Africa

National women’s basketball league champions Eagle Wings on Saturday made a good start in the quarter-final play-offs, whitewashing Mennonites 91-22 in a dull Game One tie of the best-of-three series at the Nyayo National Stadium.

In the men’s Division One play-off opening matches, Ulinzi Warriors kept clean sheets as they humiliated World Hope 71-44 in Game One while Mennonites also made a bright start, defeating Nairobi Aviation 70-56.

Provincial league champions

At Railways Club, Kenya Airports Authority were crowned provincial league champions. They beat Mombasa-based Kenya Navy 66-44 in an entertaining final.

Wings, shaping up to represent Kenya in the Africa Club Championship in Tunis, Tunisia, next week despite facing financial hiccups, had no opposition from Mennonites, whom they had punished twice in the regular season.

After finishing second on 33 points to qualify for the eight-team play-offs, Wings needed early baskets from Mildred Akinyi, Samba Mjomba and Silalei Agalo to lead 20-8 in the first quarter.

Playing in a poorly attended tie, Wings, who last year became the only self-supporting team to have won the league title,rocked the weak Mennonites 12-1 in the second quarter.

They led 32-9 athalf-time after Mennonites had only managed a mere disappointing free throw scored by Leila Hussein in the entire 10-minute-long second quarter.

Unbeaten record

On resumption, Wings, who had Juma Kent taking charge as coach with veteran Thomas “Smarts” Olumbo concentrating on the team statistics, improved scoring through US-based Rose Ouma, Rebecca Sarange and Angela Okoth.

Wings ran roughshod over over Mennonites 21-4 and finished them off with a huge 38-9 beating in the last quarter.

Akoth hit game-high 17 points and Sarange had 15 while Ouma and Agalo each fired 10 for Wings, who completed the regular-season unbeaten.