Lavenda Adhimabo of Tigoi girls (right) fights to block Jackline Tinega of Parklands Arya from scoring in their semi final match at Shimo La Tewa High School in the national school games. Parklands qualified for the finals. PHOTO/LABAN WALLOGA.  NATION
By Philip Onyango
Parklands Arya Girls Friday upset Tigoi in basketball semi-finals to book a final date with champions Shimba Hills during the Brookside Kenya secondary schools national Term One games at Shimo la Tewa.
Mang’u High School also beat rivals Friends School Kamusinga 57-50 to reach the boys’ final against Upper Hill.
Parklands Arya, playing at the nationals for the first time, were cautious against the former champions who led them 10-07 in the first quarter and 21-17 at the break.
Arya however came back stonger in the last quarter when they outscored Tigoi  24-14 to take the game to extra time.
The victors had a chance to wrap up the game on the stroke of time  when Tigoi fouled Mercy Odima but referee Dave Micheal cancelled the first free throw she made on the basis that Odima had overstayed with the ball.
Odima missed the second throw, sending the game into extra time where Arya outplayed Tigoi 14-09.
Tinega top-scored
Jackline Tinega top scored for Arya with 16 points while Samba Barbra  had  15  for Tigoi .
Parklands will meet champions Shimba Hills in the final. Shimba Hills beat Loreto Limuru 110-21 in the other semi-final match.
“Am proud of my girls for they played according to plan.
I have now told them to enjoy themselves in the final where they will meet Shimba Hills,” Godfrey Mwaloma, Parklands Arya coach, said.
The boys’ final will be a repeat of group B matches when defending champions Upper Hill take on Mang’u High.
Mang’u caused a major upset, beating bitter rivals Friends School Kamusinga 57-50, with Charles Omulo  scoring 16 points for the losers while Teddy Omondi  had 14 points for Mang’u.
“We knew they would press us and we therefore came well prepared.
This, together with the mental toughness my players had, did all the trick for us,” Mang’u coach Peter Kimani said.
Kimani has promised to turn tables against Upper Hill who beat them in the group stages.
Upper Hill on the other hand had Fred Malaki  and Ater Ijiah scoring 14  and 15 points respectively as they whitewashed  St George’s 82-46 in the other semi-final. Gordon Oyara  scored 15 points for the losers.
Girls’ hockey semis also witnessed upsets after defending champions Sinyolo Girls suffered a shock 2-0 defeat  at the hands of Pacy Kapkoilel from Nakuru region.
Ascar Cherop  (45th minute)  and  Vivian Chebet (60th) scored for Kapkoilel. Kapkoelel’s coach, Moses Koech, attributed the win to proper scouting.
“We knew they were athletic and overrelied on long passes.
We therefore tightly marked their key players to cut off the supply of the balls to the midfield,” Koech  said.
Kapkoilel will not meet St John’s Kaloleni in the final  after St John’s saw off St  Joseph’s Kibwezi 2-0 in the other semi final, with goals from Florence Mwaka and Veronica Maua.
Defending champions Friends School Kamusinga will meet newcommers Narok High in boys’ final  after Narok shocked tournament favourites Maseno school 1-0  in the other semi final.
The other semi final saw Kamusinga beat Thomas Fish 3-0 in a games which they played with a lot of ease.
Saturday's  programme:
9.00am: Girls’ basketball final -Shimba v Parklands Arya (Shimo la Tewa)
10.30am: Boys’ basketball final - Upper Hill verses Mang’u (Shimo la Tewa)
9.00am: Girls’ hockey final - St John’s v Kapkoilel (Shanzu TTC)
10.30am: Boys’ hockey final - Kamusinga v Narok (Shanzu TTC)