Saturday APR 72-71 UGB Espoir 94-41 U18 Boys Team
APR Basketball Club coach Cliff Owuor has said he was not impressed
with his team’s performance following a one-point margin win over United
Generation Basketball (UGB) in a league game played on Saturday at UR-
CST courts.
Owuor’s youthful side narrowly beat UGB 72-71 to move to a 5:4 win
ratio this season but stayed in fifth place in the ten-team league table
after nine games.
APR dominated the first quarter 22-8 and narrowly won the second
16-15, but UGB recovered in the second half to win third and fourth
quarters 22-18 and 26-16 respectively.
Frank Nshimiyimana of APR scored the game high 22 points while Eric Munyaneza added 20 points for the 2010 champions.
“The performance was far from impressive; we almost lost the game
despite a huge half-time lead. Clearly something is wrong and we need to
address it urgently. We need to work on the mistakes we’ve made today
and do better next time,” Owuor told Times Sport.
Elsewhere on Saturday, Four-time reigning champions, Espoir defeated
the U18 Boys Team 94-41 to take their win ratio to 6:2 and cut the gap
on table leaders Patriots to four points.
As it stands, Patriots top the table with maximum 18 points, one
point better than IPRC-South in second place. IPRC-Kigali occupy third
with 15 points while Jean Bahufite’s Espoir sit in fourth place 14
points and a game in hand. editorial@newtimes.co.rw
NIGERIA - 9,000 Schools for 18th Milo Basketball Championships
By Jacob Ajom
All
is now set for the 18th Milo Secondary Schools Basketball championships
with the state preliminaries billed to dunk off from February 22
through 26.
Announcing this in
Lagos yesterday, Managing Director and Chief Executive, Nestle Nigeria,
Dhanersh Gordhon said, "This year's championship will involve 9,000
secondary schools across the 36 states of the federation and the FCT as
we continue the search for that potential talent that will begin the
quest to reach his or her goal in life."
In the same vain,
Olufemi Akintola, Category Manager Nestle Nigeria said, state champions
will clash with their counterparts in the zonal stage which begins 21
April to 19 May.
According to him,
competition in the Western Conference which has Lagos as host, will flag
off between April 21 and 27. This will be followed by Central
Conference with Ilorin as centre from April 27 to May 4, while the
Confluence Conference with Lokoja as host will hold its competition
between May 5 and 12.The Equatorial Conference will be hosted by Enugu
between May 13 and 19.
For the first time
in the history of the championship, the national finals will be held
outside Lagos and Asaba, Delta State capital is the destination.
Defending the
choice of Asaba, Akintola said, "it has to do with the tremendous
support given the programme by the Delta State government."
This was evident as
the Delta State Commissioner, Basic and Secondary Education, Chinedu
Ebie and his Sports counterpart, Chief Tony Okowa who doubles as the
Executive Chairman, Delta Sttae Sports Commission were at the press
conference to assure all participating schools of the state's readiness
to host a grand national finals.
RWANDA - APR, UGB to clash, unbeaten Patriots take top spot
Today U18 Boys Team vs Espoir, 10am APR vs UGB, 12pm Thursday Patriots 74-41 U18 Boys Team
Former champions APR take on United Generation Basketball (UGB) in a
national basketball league game today at UR- CST (formerly KIST) courts –
the game starts at 12pm.
It’s a game pitying two teams, level on 12 points each this season,
having both won four and lost four out of eight league games played so
far. Going into today’s battle, APR stand in fifth position, courtesy of
a better point average, a spot higher than UGB.
Elsewhere today, the four-time reigning champions Espoir will be up
against Moise Mutokambali’s U18 Boys Team at the same venue in the first
game of the day.
Meanwhile, on Thursday evening, on-form Patriots trounced U18 Boys
Team 74-41 at Green Hills Academy (GHA) to dethrone Didier Bineza’s
IPRC-South at the top of the table.
Henry Mwinuka’s team had a smooth run over the youthful national
side—Patriots, won all four quarters 14-12, 26-7, 16-8 and 18-14
respectively to stretch the unbeaten run to 12 games, including 9 games
in the league and 3 in the Heroes Day tourney. This was also their final
game of the league’s first round.
As it stands, Patriots (9:0 win ratio) tops the table with maximum 18
points, a point better than second-placed IPRC- South, IPRC-Kigali are
third with 15 points while holders Espoir stand in fourth place with 12
points but having played two games less.
Magadi Road Conference: Much fancied Riara
University Bucks were on the receiving end last weekend. After beating
UMMA 68-32, they lost 34-48 to hosts Catholic University of Eastern
Africa and African Nazarene University 35-42.
In the ladies league defending champions had to fight to the end to
dismiss Kenyatta Univeristy Oryx 31-30. Zetech University collected
maximum points after beating CUEA 46-27 on Saturday and got a walkover
on Sunday, Cooperative College did not honour the match.
A total of 42 games were played over the weekend.
Full Weekend Results: Saturday Magadi Road Men: MMU 38-42 MKU NBO, CUEA
23-28 ANU, Riara 68-32 UMMA, Strathmore 69-31 Machakos, Riara 46-28
Co-op, Moi Nbo 00-20 Daystar, Strathmore 00-20 Coop, Daystar 20-00 JKUAT
Nbo, TUK 50-32 MMU, MKU Nbo 19-33 CUEA, JKUAT Nbo 43-46 ANU Saturday Thika Road Men: KU Ruiru 31-49 USIU, Zetech 24-38 UoN, MKU Thika 30-43 KU, SPU38-46 Zetech, JKUAT 36-40 UON. Ladies Saturday: Riara 35-25 SPU, USIU 47-07 COOP, Daystar 39-11 KU Ruiru, ANU 20-24 JKUAT, Zetech 46-27 CUEA. Sunday Magadi Road Men: CUEA 48-34 Riara, JKUAT Nbo
34-42 Machakos, Strathmore 43-27 CUEA, KU Nbo 53-25 UMMA, Riara 35-42
ANU, Daystar 33-26 TUK, ANU 44-31 MKU Nbo, MMU 19-29 Daystar TUK 28-37 Coop, KU Nbo 20-00 MOI Nbo, Mackakos 28-34 UMMA, JKUAT Nbo 45-46 MKU Nbo. Sunday Thika Road Men: KU 29-19 KU RUIRU, UON 40-61 USIU, SPU 41-18 JKUAT, MKU Thika 33-29 KU Ruiru. Ladies Sunday: Riara 29-32 KU, ANU 32-23 MKU Thika, Daystar 20-00 Machakos, Zetech 20-00 COOP, KU 30-31 USIU.
UGANDA - 4 Kenyans Contracts Terminated By Sharing Youth
Sharing Youth Basketball Club in Uganda has terminated contracts for four Kenyans who were part of the team last season.
According to the club, lack of sponsorship forced Sharing Youth to
part ways with Brian Marumbu, Ansalim Onalo, Alex Lugasi, Faustine
Ambrose and Tanzanian Murshid Mudricat.
A communication sent by Sharing Youth Team Manager Ben Lule to the
five players reads: “Wanted to let you know what has been transpiring
with sponsor we, had a meeting with the sponsor on Wednesday and after
we met as Sharing management team yesterday and decided to discuss the
outcome, the sponsor is not going to sponsor us financially this year,
so that means that our budget on running the team will be cut to bare
minimum, we had hoped he would release money by the end February so we
can call you guys to come back but unfortunately he doesn’t have
finances for us now, so we sat down and decided to avoid incurring any
costs, we terminate the contract we have with you as we can not meet the
obligations required and would like to avoid incurring any other costs,
it’s much more fairer to you and us, I thank you for the time taken
with us, and we never saw this coming as we had been told that finances
would be released in February , my sincere apologies to you for what has
transpired” T
Carol Nyafwono (R) during the Zone V Nations Qualifiers against Egypt
The
Uganda Ladies’ basketball team (Gazelles) center Carol Nyafwono is the
latest weapon acquired by Just Keep Living (JKL) Dolphins.
The newly promoted side have been busy in the transfer market and the
acquisition of Nyafwono makes them a complete side ready to fight for
the title with the seasoned league giants.
She joins Angella Namirimu and Purity Odhiambo, the two biggest
signings for the side and team owner Fredrick Freedom Owora has revealed
that there are two more signings and the team will be ready to meet
their targets.
The side have set a target of making it to the Zone V Club Championship in their first season of top flight basketball.
With five former league winners on the team, JKL will fancy their chances when the season tips off in April. JKL Team: Peace Nakirijja, Angella Namirimu, Leane
Nalunkuuma, Stella Oyella, Jamilla Nansikombi, Purity Odhiambo, Hope
Akello, Evelyn Nakintu, Carol Nyafwono, Alisha Walusagi, Suzan Atino,
Norah Namutosi, Suzan Namirembe, Salma Akinyi
The Gambia National Basketball League re-starts this weekend after a brief sabbatical.
The championship
kick-start today in a mark of a new season as the GBA plans to include
the 24 and 14 seconds shot clock in line with international basketball
federation rules. Teams are urged to report to the lawn 30 minutes
before game start. Time : 4:30pmGames 1. YMCA vs Victory Creators
(Bundung)
2. Banjul United vs. Serrekunda West Venue: Independence Stadium
Date: Saturday
February 13 Time: 4:30pm Games 1. Brikama United vs. Olypic Afic 2. YMCA
Female vs Kotu Blue Ninjas Female 3. Bakau United vs Kotu United Venue:
Independence Stadium
Date: Sunday February 14 Time: 4:30pm Games Lamin United vs Kotu United YMCA vs Serrekunda West
RWANDA - Patriots face U18 Boys seeking to stretch unbeaten run
Patriots, the only side still unbeaten in the league this season, are looking to their record to 9-0. (File)
Thursday Patriots vs U18 Boys Team 6pm
National basketball league top contenders, Patriots BBC eye to
dethrone archrivals IPRC-South at the top of the table standings when
they face the U18 Boys Team today evening at Green Hills Academy courts,
the game starts at 6pm.
Patriots, the only side still unbeaten in the league this season,
take on the national U18 side coached by Moise Mutokambali, seeking for a
resounding 9:0 win ratio, having previously won their first eight
league games including clashes against closest title challengers,
IPRC-South, Espoir and IPRC-Kigali.
The U18 Boys Team, which joined the league last December, will be
seeking to be the first side to upset Henry Mwinuka’s on-form Patriots.
Mutokambali’s youthful side has only managed two wins out of seven
league games played thus far.
Patriots’ coach Mwinuka, while speaking to Times Sport on Wednesday
said that his players are fired up to finish the first round on a high.
“All my players are fit and the mood in the team is amazing,
everything is in place for today’s game. Our top priority is to win the
game, to keep the winning, we are on the right track,” said the
Tanzanian trainer. Table standings Team GP W L PTS
IPRC-South 9 8 1 17 Patriots 8 8 0 16 IPRC-Kigali 9 6 3 15 Espoir 7 5 2 12 APR 8 4 4 12 UGB 8 4 4 12 UR- Huye 9 3 6 12 U18 Boys Team 7 2 5 9 Rusizi 7 1 6 8 CSK 8 0 8 8 editorial@newtimes.co.rw
NIGERIA - African Basketball League Dunks Off March 4
By Alex Monye
The
African Basketball League, ABL, has secured a partnership deal with
Trace as the official TV and digital partner for the inaugural
Basketball league, which dunks off on March 4.
With this new
partnership deal, African Basketball League games will be aired on TRACE
TV in 160 countries across Africa, Europe, Asia, Indian Ocean and the
Caribbean.
According to the
Chief Executive Officer of ABL, Ugo Udezue, the deal has proved to the
world that Africa is gradually gaining prominence in the dunking game.
"This deal is
historic for the ABL and it will contribute greatly to the growth of
professional basketball within the African continent. We are excited to
feed the appetite of basketball lovers all across the world. It is
another way of making the ABL games accessible to millions of passionate
basketball fans. We are delighted to have TRACE as our official TV
partner," he said.
The Chief Executive Officer of TRACE Nigeria, Samo Onyemelukwe, also said:
"This partnership
is a new occasion to demonstrate TRACE continuous engagement and support
of the best African talents. With ABL, we are committed to provide a
fantastic sport and entertainment experience to all basketball fans in
Africa and the rest of the world."
Six strong
basketball clubs have been confirmed for the debut season, including
Lagos Islanders, Stallions and Lagos Warriors. The other Africa clubs
that will participate in the league include Dakar Rapids from Senegal,
Abidjan Ramblers from the Cote d'Ivoire and Izobe Basketball Club from
Libreville, Gabon.
Matero
Magic defended their Zambia Basketball Association (ZBA) Sprite
national championship crown yesterday after posting an emphatic 71-56
victory over Green Buffaloes.
With this win,
Magic closed out the series on a 3-1 triumph in what was a bruising but
highly charged playoffs, where the championship came under intense
scrutiny.
Buffaloes, who were
playing in the finals for the first time in 10 years, put up a strong
challenge but could not match Magic's pedigree as the Matero outfit
subdued the Army sponsored side with relative ease.
Magic were first to
the line in game one edging the marauding Buffaloes 60-58 in a really
tight game and repeated the win in game two though Buffaloes pushed the
champions all the way and saw the game dented by physical play and
resulted in a Buffaloes player being ejected.
However, Buffaloes pulled a trick off the bag with a game 92-79 win in overtime.
Despite suffering a setback, Magic summed up the series with a 71-56 win to claim the K4, 500 prize.
In the women's
game, the streaking UNZA Honeys finished off Nishati shells to win their
third national title on the trot to underline their dominance in the
women's game in recent times.
Honeys lost the
first game of the series 52-62 but responded positively by taking
Game-Two 76-67 to level the series before winning the next two games to
claim the championship with the series win of 3-1 score.
For their exploits, the national champions pocketed K4,500, a trophy and medals.
Nishanti Denvers won the B league finals Game-Five after beating Magic-B 69-67 to take the series 3-2.
Denvers and Magic
were at par 2-2 after the Saturday games but the South B League
champions took game five and walked away with the title a trophy and
medals.
RWANDA - IPRC-South win to stay top in hoops league
Former Patriots Capain, Sunny Niyomugabo (L), scored 24 points for IPRC-South against their Kigali counterparts. (File)
Sunday Patriots 105-72 Rusizi IPRC-Kigali 86-60 UR-CASS CSK BBC 48-73 U18 Boys Team Saturday Men
IPRC-Kigali 80-85 IPRC-South UGB 60-54 UR-CASS Women The Hoops 50-58 APR
IPRC-South overcame rivals IPRC-Kigali in a hard earned 85-80 win on
Saturday to maintain top spot in the national basketball league.
This was the 7th successive league victory for Didier Bineza’s title
hopefuls, and comes on the back of last weekend’s 64-55 win against
reigning champions Espoir. The Huye-based side has only lost one game
this season, a 73-71 defeat to Patriots on match day 2 last December.
Bineza’s youthful team are well-known for getting better in the
latter part of the game, but it was totally a different story on
Saturday. The Huye-based side won the first and second quarters; 23-16
and 24-21 respectively to register a 47-37 lead going into half-time.
However, Albert Buhake’s IPRC- Kigali, led by Steve Havugintwari
returned for the second-half, much improved to claim the third quarter
28-22, but their Southern Province rivals upped their game to steal the
final quarter 16-15 for a deserved 85-80 win.
Rwanda international Havugintwari scored the game high 27 points,
youngster Bruno Nyamwasa added 19 for IPRC-Kigali, but individual
efforts from the duo were not enough to get a victory.
Sunny Niyomugabo (24 points), Bienvenu Niyonsaba (22 points) and
Didier Ishimwe (15 points) got a total of 61 points for IPRC-South, who
stayed a point ahead of second-placed and still unbeaten
Patriots—however, IPRC-South have played a game more.
Elsewhere on Saturday, United Generation Basketball (UGB) won 60-54
over Charles Mushumba’s UR- College of Arts and Social Sciences (UR-
CASS).
As it stands, IPRC-South tops the table standings with 17 points from
nine games, unbeaten Patriots are second with maximum 16 points,
IPRC-Kigali moved into third place with 15 points, while holders Espoir
are fourth with 14 points from eight games.
Sunday the 6th of September might be remembered as South
African Basketball’s judgement day. A day drawn to us by fate as the
Egoli Magic and Duzi Royals met up for game 3 of the Basketball National
League finals. With the teams splitting the 1st 2 games, we were in for a grand finale as this was the season decider.
Egoli Magic started the game with Nkosinathi Festile running the
point guard position as Jose Salvador was still stretching out his calf
muscle which he suffered cramps on towards the end of game 2. Festile
helped to set the tone early for Egoli as he and Captain Lesego
Molebatsi gave the Magic an early lead of 17-7 after the 1st
quarter. It almost looked like we were about to have the same storyline
as game 2 with the Royals failing to score, but they steadily picked up
the fight in the 2nd quarter behind some inspired play by
their bench players. The score was 33-25 to Egoli at halftime, but the
Royals held good momentum going into the half.
Dar
Es Saalam — The basketball fraternity has called on the Regional
Basketball Association (RBA) to come up with a raft of resolutions,
which will help salvage the RBA League.
Their plea comes after Azam TV who were sponsoring the RBA League decided to withdraw its support for the Dar es Salaam league.
All RBA League matches were beamed live by Azam TV, thus helping to promote the sport.
Oilers guard Lusajo
Samuel told The Citizen yesterday that the withdrawal of Azam TV
sponsorship has dealt a massive blow to Dar es Salaam basketball.
Samuel, who is also
the national team skipper, called on individuals and companies to come
to the rescue of the "beautiful game."
"The cancellation
of sponsorship has sent ripples of shock to all clubs featuring in the
RBA League. I am not a prophet of doom, but I can clearly see the fall
of basketball in Dar es Salaam," said Samuel.
"The arrival of
Azam TV brought renewed excitement for the sport across the country, but
their decision to end sponsorship means that we are going back to where
we were. This will certainly change for the worse, but it is down to
basketball authorities to act."
Dar es Salaam
Regional basketball League raged on over the weekend with giants Savio
and Oilers posting crucial victories. Savio fought bravely to tame ABC
in 66-52 in a thrilling Regional Basketball league match held at the
national Indoor Stadium on Saturday night.
In the same night,
Oilers, other league giants had to wait till the last minute to claim a
slim 75-74 victory over Young Stars. It was a tough game for Savio;
especially in the first quarter which the team stamped a slim 10-8 lead
at its end.
ABC continued to
hold Savio, who once again used extra skills to post a 23-17 victory at
the end of the second quarter. The third quarter was even a tough one
the favourites. Savio claimed a 40-36 victory, only two baskets
separated them.
The fourth quarter
saw Savio coming up with a bigger force and improved tactics. They
managed to add 26 points more compared to 16 points garnered by ABC in
the final quarter.
Maige Yunzu was
instrumental in Savio's victory as he fired home 15 points while his
team mate Amin Nkosa added 15 more points to the team. Also played
brilliantly were veteran players George Tarimo and Mohamed Yusuf who
each notched 6 points. Yunzu also led in three points brace by doing it
three times while doing blocks two times
He provided scoring
pass to his teammates 8 times, but he made 3 turn overs. The ABC team
relied on Salim Mchemba who was their top marksman. He scored 13 points
while his teammate Filbert Mawaipungu penned another 13 points.
Veteran player,
Juma Kissoky added 12 points for ABC and Gilbert Batungi who posted 6
points. Mwaipungu did double three pointer and provided scoring passes 9
times.
In another match
played at the same venue, Oilers beat Young Stars 75-74 in fiercely
contested encounter. Oilers tied with their opponents 23-23 at the end
of the first quarter and again they tied 36-36 at the breather.
Oilers led 67-59 in
the third quarter before registering a slim 75-74 at the end of the
game. Evance Davids hammered 20 points for Oilers while Shafi Songoro
and Musa Mwakalobo each posted 12 points.
Mahfudh Simba
netted 16 points for Young Stars and Joas Maheta adding 15 more points
to his side. The teams had tied 74 all at the end before a shot decision
was applied to find the winner. Oilers converted it while their
opponents missed.
Stunned! Sammy Kiki, the KPA women's basketball coach bravely led his team to five games against USIU-A. (Photo by Shutterspeed)
USIU-A
Flames were stretched to the fifth game before beating Kenya Ports
Authority to retain the Kenya Basketball Federation women's Premier
League title. (Photo by Shutterspeed)
Stunned! Sammy Kiki, the KPA women's basketball coach bravely led his team to five games against USIU-A. (Photo by Shutterspeed)
USIU-A
Flames were stretched to the fifth game before beating Kenya Ports
Authority to retain the Kenya Basketball Federation women's Premier
League title. (Photo by Shutterspeed)
United States International
University- Africa (USIU-A) women's basketball team bagged its second
straight league title with a 3-2 series win over Kenya Ports Authority
(KPA) in the playoffs final on Monday.
The competitive series
had to go to the full distance although game five was an anti-climax
with USIU-A winning 74-46. They were awarded Sh100,000 while KPA got
Sh50,000 prize money. Both teams will represent Kenya at the Fiba-Africa
Zone V championships this year
In the fifth game, SIU-A played a
free-scoring game and dominated from start to the end. KPA simply didn't
come to play. The dockers allowed the students to score easy points.
Their
key players failed to rise to the occasion and committed simple errors
which was their biggest undoing. USIU-A dismissed KPA in a similar
fashion to Equity Bank in the semifinals.
In both series, they
lost game one but won game two then lost game three. They then swept
home games four and five but head coach George Mayienga says it was not
part of their strategy.
“It has not been easy defending the title
especially dealing with students,” he told Sports News Arena.
“Sometimes I go for training and only two or three players have turned
up. If it was a club, things would have been easy because I can take
them to a camp but for students, you get them out of lecture halls every
time there is a game to play.”
Mayienga attributed the success
to teamwork. “At USIU-A, we have made it a family and as the coach I
must follow up on where players are most of the time so that we don't
mess up our schedule,” he added. “It's not just about the game but
everything that goes around the lives of these players.” USIU-A remained consistent
The
coach singled out game five of the final as their best in both
semifinal and final and it was evident on the court. KPA did not have a
chance to lead in the entire forty minutes as USIU-A remained consistent
to inflate the margin with every quarter.
Georgia Adhiambo, the
standout player and fans favorite in the game opened the account for
USIU-A with a three-point shot. The students went on to open a
nine-point lead in the first quarter of 21-12 to win 23-15 as Cynthia
Irankunda scored eight points and Sarah Chan accounted for six.
Inside three minutes of second quarter, the margin stretched to 12
points as USIU-A led 27-15 to win the quarter 8-6 and lead 31-21 at
halftime.
In the third quarter, the students opened a 22-point lead of 51-29 and won 22-10.
In
the fourth quarter, the body language of KPA players was that of
resignation to fate as they did not give USIU-A any meaningful
challenge. In five minutes, Adhiambo had made three three-pointers to
help USIU-A open a 30-point lead and they extended to 31 points at 70-39
winning the quarter 21-15.
USIU-A scored 18 points from the arc
and 12 from the free-throw line while KPA had six points from the arc
and seven from free shots. Adhiambo hit six three-pointers to top
score for USIU-A with 22 points, Chan scored 16 and Irankunda had 15.
Natalie Akinyi top scored for KPA with 12 points. Chan was named the
most valuable player and pocketed Sh10,000. “It’s amazing. I thank my
teammates for pushing me to work hard until now I am the best. This
award is all about team effort and not my individual brilliance,” Chan
said.
RWANDA - Espoir sign Buzangu as Patriots land Burundian
Jean de Dieu Ntagunduka, seen here before the league game against Espoir on Saturday, which Patriots won 64-55. (Courtesy)
Four-time reigning league and playoffs
champions, Espoir Basketball Club signed point guard Patrick Buzangu
from rivals Cercle Sportif de Kigali (CSK) on a one-year contract until
the end of the 2016 season.
The 30-year-old moves from SCK where he has been for the past two seasons.
“I am an Espoir player, I signed for one year initially, and I look
forward to winning big things with my new team, it’s a new challenge for
me, which I cherish because Espoir is the best club in the country,”
Buzangu told Times Sport.
Clarifying the reason behind his move from CSK to Espoir, he noted
that, “I am leaving CSK because I needed to win the league title and I
think Espoir can offer me that chance.”
The DR Congo-born star has been brought in as a replacement for
former club captain Aristide Mugabe, who crossed to Patriots Basketball
Club this season.
Meanwhile, Patriots have also completed the signing of Burundian Jean
de Dieu ‘Yao’ Ntagunduka from Burundian champions, Urunani.
The 25-year-old won two consecutive Burundian league titles with
Urunani, in 2014 and 2015 as well as the Zone V Club Championship in
2013 after they beat Espoir in the final. editorial@newtimes.co.rw
RWANDA - IPRC-South Defeat Espoir to Stay Top in Hoops League
By Richard Bishumba
Southern
Province-based Integrated Polytechnic Regional Centre (IPRC-South) beat
defending champions Espoir 64-55 on Saturday in Huye to maintain a pole
position in the national basketball league table.
IPRC- South have
now beaten Jean Bahufite's Espoir twice in the same season, with the
youthful side also having upset the Nyamirambo-based giants 83-64 last
November to win the preseason tournament.
Espoir took the
first quarter 13-11, thanks largely to seven points from centre
Bienvenue Ngandu, but the hosts bounced to claim the second quarter
18-14 and seize control of the game with a 29-27 lead at half-time.
However, upon
returning for the second-half, IPRC-South, with two back-to-back 3s from
Yesman Bushiri, never looked back and won the final two quarters; 21-17
and 14-11, respectively, as Didier Bineza's team handed the four-time
champions their second league loss of the season.
Ngandu of Espoir
scored the game high 15 points, while Patrick Buzangu added 11 points
but it was the in-form IPRC-South, who had the final laugh, with Fabrice
Ikishatse and Bushiri scoring 13 points apiece while captain Bienvenue
Niyonsaba contributed 12 points.
Elsewhere, title
hopefuls Patriots overcame UGB 76-69, UR- CASS beat struggling CSK
60-43, while IPRC-Kigali won 81-76 over Rusizi, with Cliff Owuor's APR
defeating U18 Boys Team 71-65.
The
national men's basketball team, Silverbacks, edged league champions
City Oilers 88-87 in their buildup match played Tuesday night at Lugogo
Indoor Stadium arena.
The match was
intended to win over potential Silverbacks sponsors, Ling Long Tyres,
whose president, Wang Feng, attended as guest of honor. FELIX EUPAL
looks at the major talking points from the match.
Silverbacks have their work cut out
The Zone V
qualifiers may still be seven months away but coach Mande Juruni has his
work cut out going by how Silverbacks played. First, with all the
players at his disposal, Juruni had failed to assemble a squad of 12,
forcing skipper Stephen Omony to improvise by adding UPDF Tomahawks'
Moses Muhumuza and Daniel Manojo.
Last year,
Silverbacks only had a two-week training camp and when the season tips
off, players will all be at their respective teams with hardly any
national team training. So, the National Team Steering Committee has to
ensure that there are more sessions when Silverbacks train as a unit.
Juruni noted that
one of the challenges is getting regular playing time for home-based
players in order to improve on their shooting abilities. Indeed, the
shooting was suspect; of the 35 three-pointer shots attempted,
Silverbacks only converted 14.
Oilers good bet for a fourth championship
For a team that has
not been practicing and only has friendly pickups, Oilers stretched the
Silverbacks to the maximum and they did that without Ben Komakech and
Burundian forward, Landry Ndikumana, who is still away with his family.
Team manager Grace
Kwizera said they will add two players to reinforce the current squad as
the club bids to win a fourth straight championship title.
Drileba is a man to watch
Every season has a
player that stands out with his performance but Oilers guard Tony
Drileba just keeps getting better with each game. When Oilers signed
him, he hadn't played for any team in the league and was a developmental
project.
Gradually, they
have nurtured him into a lethal project. During last year's Zone V Club
Championship in Kigali, Rwanda, Drileba was the team's silent weapon,
coming off the bench to terrorize opponents with his three pointers.
Now, he has
garnered the courage to even take drives to the hoop through traffic and
even doesn't seem fazed by pressure moments, which explains his 13
points in 17 minutes he spent on court against Silverbacks. This season
he should be the player to look out for.
Sensational Omony
The veteran
Silverbacks' skipper was yet again the star performer of the night,
finishing with 26 points, which included six three-pointers. He led by
example at Afro-basket Championship last year and could still be the
kingpin this season.
However, he is at
the tail end of his career with age catching up on him. Juruni should
have an understudy for him; otherwise filling the dent when he is gone
would be a hard task.
KENYA - Women's Premier League between USIU-A and KPA goes down the wire
arangu
Feb 08, 2016
Cynthia
Irankunda dribbles past KPA's Brenda Angeshi in the fourth game of the
play-off. The two teams will meet in the decider. (Photo by
Shutterspeed)
Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) and United
States International University- Africa (USIU-A) will play out game
five on Monday night to determine the 2015 Kenya Basketball Federation’s
women's Premier League champion.
The best-of-five series final
is tied 2-all after game four on Sunday won 66-62 by USIU-A. Last
weekend, the series finished 1-1 after KPA won game one 55-52 and USIU-A
won the second 63-57 in Mombasa.
KPA then led 2-1 after
winning game three 73-64 on Saturday but the students leveled on Sunday.
With three minutes played in the first quarter of game four, USIU-A
took a 10-0 lead and stretched to a 14-point lead at 15-1 to win the
quarter 24-11.
KPA won the second quarter 19-15 but it’s USIU-A who led 39-30 at halftime.
In third quarter, KPA chased the game and managed to tie scores 49-49
with 31 seconds remaining. Sarah Chan fouled Natalie Akinyi for her
fourth foul and Akinyi made two free shots for the first tie of the
game.
Zipporah Adhiambo then fired a three-point shot to give
USIU-A a 52-49 lead going to fourth quarter. KPA won third quarter 19-13
and the students dominated the opening five minutes of fourth quarter. Mandela leads charge
KPA
took the first lead in the game with 5:51 on the clock when Annerose
Mandela made a three-point shot for 60-58. Mandela had scored seven
straight points from two baskets and a three-pointer to lead the charge.
However, lack of teamwork cost KPA a lot of points and USIU-A
capitalized. Chan who had been rested for the first five minutes came on
in the second half of the last quarter and stabilized USIU-A’s play
with good rebounding.
The students regained the lead with 3:29
on the clock when Melissa Akinyi fired a three-pointer for 63-62 and
they scored 3-0 to settle the scores.
Chan finished with a game
high 18 points for USIU-A and Angela Okoth added 14. Mandela was KPA’s
top scorer with 16 points and Yvonne Akinyi added 12.
Equity Bank
finished third after beating Co-operative Bank 53-47 in the playoff.
Co-op Bank led 23-20 at halftime after winning first quarter 15-10 and
Equity the second 10-8. Equity dominated second half with wins of 17-11
in third quarter and 16-13 in fourth quarter.
Samba Mjomba shot over 50 percent in three quarters to top score for Equity with a game high 27 points.
In
the first quarter, she shot 6/10 for the team's quarterly score, 7/10
in second quarter and 9/16 in fourth quarter. Grace Wanjiku top scored
for Co-op Bank with 15 points and Celine Okumu had 12.
RWANDA - Mugabe keen to lead Patriots to first hoops league title
SATURDAY Men Rusizi vs IPRC-Kigali - 9am APR vs U18 Boys Team - 10am CSK vs UR-Huye - 12pm Patriots vs UGB IPRC-South vs Espoir Women APR vs The Hoops - 10am UR-Huye vs Ubumwe - 12pm SUNDAY Men Rusizi vs Espoir - 9am APR vs UR-Huye - 10am UGB vs U18 Boys Team - 12pm
After guiding Patriots to two titles in a space of three months, new
signing Aristide Mugabe is eager to lead his side to their first league
title this year as they lock horns with United Generation Basketball
(UGB) on Saturday at KIST courts.
Patriots Basketball Club, which made their league debut last season,
and went on to finish second, behind champions Espoir, have already won
two trophies, including the pre-season tournament in November last year,
and the Heroes Day tourney last week.
Mugabe, the ex-Espoir captain, was named the Heroes Day tournament
Most Valuable Player (MVP) after he helped his new team overcome his
former employers in the final 84-72.
The 27-year-old point guard was also impressive when the two title
rivals met in the league two weeks ago, which Patriots won 77-65 to take
the outright lead at the top of the national basketball league table.
“I left Espoir to join Patriots because I was looking for a new
challenge, and to be honest, so far so good—I have been here for a short
time but I have adapted quickly to the new environment and new
teammates,” Mugabe told Saturday Sport.
He added, “We have already won two trophies, but we all know that the
bigger prize (league and playoffs) is still way off, nonetheless,
winning two tournaments can only motivate us to do even more to achieve
the main goal.”
Patriots are still unbeaten in six league games and will be seeking to extend their winning streak.
KENYA - KPA's Kiki not keen on going full distance
By francis marangu
Jan 28, 2016
Kenya Ports Authority are at home for the first two games of the women's Premier League final play off.
Kenya Ports Authority are at home for the first two games of the women's Premier League final play off.
When Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) beat
United States International University- Africa (USIU-A) to win the
women's Premier League title in 2013, the series went the full distance
to game five.
Last year, USIU-A was on the winning end with a
3-1 series score and both teams meet again for the third straight time
in this year’s final.
The best-of-five series begins this weekend
with two games in Mombasa and KPA head coach Sammy Kiki is not keen to
go full length. He plans to take full advantage of the home ground
court.
USIU-A defeated Equity Bank 3-2 while KPA beat
Co-operative Bank 3-1 in semifinals. He closely followed the second
semifinal pitting Equity Bank and USIU-A that went to game five and says
they will be facing a deserving opponent.
“I respect USIU-A and
believe they were better than Equity who also played very well. But
coming down twice to tie the series and win was not easy for them. It
shows they are a quality side,” he observed. “We expect them to give
us a hard time but my target is to win both games at home and make work
easier in Nairobi.
We are well prepared because the team has been
training together for the past one week. I thank the management for
supporting us and making sure players based in Nairobi are available on
time.” Powerful rebounding
Point Guards
Cynthia Irankunda (USIU-A) and Natalie Akinyi (KPA) will be key at the
back court. From their win over Equity, Sarah Chan has proven to be a
pivot for USIU-A with powerful rebounding and high scoring.
Melissa
Akinyi was also outstanding as well as Doreen Nyaga who did not give
Equity guard Samba Mjomba an easy time. Yvonne Akinyi, Linda Alando,
Evelyn Itabu, Evelyn Nora and Hellen Oketch are some experienced hands
for KPA.
USIU-A head coach George Mayienga has said fatigue
from playing three straight games over the weekend and traveling to
Mombasa a day before game one will not affect his players. Even though
he chose to keep his cards close to te chest.
Coming out of the Coastal city with at least one win will be good for the students who lost only to KPA in regular season.
The
rivalry between these two teams is slowly shaping up. But, Equity has
proven they can challenge the duo in the coming seasons although Kiki
maintains they are the dominant teams at the moment.
“I think the
best two teams have met in the final again. We were in different
conferences with KPA losing one game to Equity and USIU-A lost once to
us. I can say we are dominant.”
Co-op Bank will play Equity Bank in the third-place playoff on the weekend of February 6-7.
KENYA - Comeback by USIU-A in fourth quarter pushes tie with Equity to game five
George
Mayienga, the USIU-A women's Basketball coach forced a decider against
newcomers Equity Bank. USIU-A are the defending champions. (Photo by
Shutterspeed)
David
Maina, the Equity Bank women's Basketball coach reacts during one of
the games. The tie will be decided in the fifth game. (Photo by
Shutterspeed)
Teamwork play in the fourth quarter of
game four saved United States International University- Africa from
elimination as they beat Equity Bank 56-40 to force the deciding game
five on Monday night.
Coming to the game at Nyayo gymnasium,
Equity led the women's Premier League semifinal playoffs series 2-1 and a
win would have sealed their qualification to their maiden final. It was
the second time they surrendered the series lead after winning the
first game.
The bankers dominated in the first half, held off the
defending champions in third quarter before slowing down in the fourth
and watched the game slip away.
Equity played without key players Hilda Indasi and Linda Mfuchi while USIU-A did not field Georgia Adhiambo.
The
turning point was in the last five minutes of the fourth quarter when
USIU-A opened the biggest lead in the game of 17 points leading 56-39.
Melissa Akinyi, Sarah Chan, Angela Okoth, Cynthia Irankunda and
Doreen Nyaga coordinated play on the court that disoriented Equity’s
game plan. But that was all due to their effort and hard work after
chasing the game and struggling for the opening three quarters.
They
took a 2-0 lead in first quarter but Equity leveled 2-2 and led 4-2.
Captain Eleanor Musundi then scored six straight points from two free
shots and two baskets as Equity went on a 9-0 scoring run to lead 14-2.
Equity won the quarter 16-9. Chan took control in second
quarter scoring 13 points as USIU-A won 15-4 to lead 24-20 at halftime.
With
4:06 remaining, Chan scored a basket that gave USIU-A a 19-18 lead but
Samba Mjomba replied for Equity for the lead to change hands 20-19 in
the bankers' favor. Chan sunk a free shot to tie 20-20 before adding two
more free shots and a basket to give USIU-A a four-point advantage at
the breather.
Samba scored eight straight points from a basket
and six free shots as Equity won the third quarter 10-8 to trail USIU-A
30-32 going to the closing quarter. Close contest in fourth quarter
The
contest was very close in the quarter. Equity took the lead with 7:40
on the clock when Samba made two free shots for 26-25. Okoth then made
a free shot for the students to tie 26-26 before Chan gave them the
lead with a basket and held on.
With only 20 seconds played in fourth quarter, Samba made a steal off Melissa Akinyi to score a basket and tie scores 32-32.
After
a similar period, Okoth gave USIU-A the lead with two free shots but
Salma Akinyi made a basket with a minute played to tie 34-34. Melissa
Akinyi then gave USIU-A a 36-34 lead and the students exerted pressure
to open a 17-point gap that ensured they live to fight another day.
Chan,
who made three crucial blocks on Salma Akinyi, Musundi and Apondi in
second half, finished with a game high 26 points for USIU-A grabbing 18
rebounds, two assists, three steals and four blocked shots.
Samba
scored 16 points for Equity with seven rebounds, two assists and four
steals while Musundi added 12 points and grabbed seven rebounds.
Equity
had on Saturday taken a 2-1 series lead after winning game three 62-57.
USIU-A won the first quarter 17-8 and the second tied 13-13 for the
students to lead 30-21 at halftime.
The bankers won the third
and fourth quarters 21-15 and 20-12. Samba who played for the entire
period had a game high of 32 points for Equity and grabbed five
rebounds, five steals and an assist.
Chan also playedthe full period for USIU-A scoring 26 points, grabbed 17 rebounds, six steals and blocked three shots.
UGANDA - Silverbacks win as Fuba waits on sponsorship
KAMPALA. On an occasion to showcase the game to
Linglong, as Fuba chase another sponsorship deal with the Chinese tyre
company, Stephen Omony shined as the Silverbacks edged City Oilers 88-87
at Lugogo on Tuesday night.
The national team captain scored a joint game-high
26 points including a buzzer beating three-pointer from downtown to
close out the second quarter on an evening of 6 for 11 shooting from
behind the arc. That earned him an ovation from the Chinese dignitaries
that included the tyre company’s president Feng Wang and the capacity
crowd at the MTN Arena, Lugogo. The Silverbacks eventually held on
for victory and a Shs1.2m cash prize despite guard Tony Drilleba’s
efforts. The league champions converted five of their last six free
throws including all three by Drilleba, who finished with 17 points as
they trailed by one point with eight seconds on the clock. Kami Kabange, who missed one of his final three attempts from similar range, led the Oilers with 26 points.
“The game was a success and our guests were
impressed by what they saw. We now await their official response on the
sponsorship deal,” Fuba president Ambrose Tashobya remarked. The
federation is searching for sponsors early enough to aid preparations
for the Zone V tournament later this year. The two parties in 2014
also signed a similar agreement that saw Linglong support the
Silverbacks with $50,000 (about Shs125m then) prior to the zonal
tournament.
Patriots'
and former Espoir playmaker Arstide Mugabe shows off his MVP awards
after his side Patriots beat Espoir in the final on Monday. (Elise
Mpirwa)
Monday finals Men Espoir BBC 72-84 Patriots BBC Women Ubumwe BBC 74-66 APR BBC
Patriots Basketball Club and Ubumwe Basketball Club in men and women
categories, respectively, claimed this year’s national Heroes’
basketball tournament on Monday at Amahoro Indoor Stadium, Kigali.
Patriots, who are still unbeaten in the league after six league
rounds of games, proved they are still invincible with victory against
last season’s league champions and archrivals Espoir 84 points to 72
points to claim their first title in 2016.
Coach Henry Mwinuka’s side have emerged serious contenders after
signing two former Espoir key players, including Elie Kaje and Arstide
Mugabe, who went on to win the tournament’s Most Valuabe Player (MVP)
award.
“I am very thrilled to win this award and also win this title against
my former club, it is a big motivation for me and also to shows them
(his former club) that I am still a winner,” said Mugabe.
Meanwhile, Ubumwe beat military side APR 74-66 points in the Ladies tournament to land their first title this year. Both sides had a few new faces in their ranks.
This year’s tournament attracted seven clubs including Patriots,
Espoir, UGB and U18 national team in the men category, while Ubumwe, APR
and The Hoops participated in the women category.
