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Eldonets arrest Thunder: Hosts show no respect to big wigs in KBF league

Monday, August 5th, 2019 00:00 | By
Umoj’s Keith Luvisi hustles Ulinzi Wariors Joshua Okumu for the ball in a previous KBF League match at the United States International University - Africa (USIU-Africa) Basketball courts. Photo/DAVID NDOLO

Eldonets put a stop to Thunder’s good run in the Kenya Basketball Federation (KBF) as they subjected the side to a 67-57 beating on Sunday in Eldoret.

Coming off a win against Kisumu Lakeside on Saturday, Thunder started off as favourites in the Sunday match. However, the hard fighting Eldoret side had other plans as they were out to end an eight-match losing streak.

James Omweno and Nevin Otieno top scored for the hosts at 21 and 14 points respectively as Morris Juma’s Eldonet took a six-point lead into the breather after scores of 22-14 and 17-19 in the first half.

Thunder cut the lead to three points after a 18-15 score in the third period. The hosts, however, pulled away with a 13-6 score in the final period for the win.

“We arrived in Kisumu on Saturday morning and managed to play for a win. The fatigue, however, must have caught up with my players as we had little time to rest before the Eldonets match,” said Thunder coach Sadat Gaya.

Before the loss, Thunder had lost one match against Equity and were in a race for top spot against Ulinzi Warriors who have lost one match. “If we can pick wins in the remaining second leg matches, including against Warriors, we will still be top of the table. This loss does not complicate our plans at all,” added Gaya.

Tough match

The loss for Thunder puts Ulinzi Warriors in a better position to finish the regular league at the helm of the 12-team league standings. Victor Bosire and Erick Motoro led Warriors’ onslaught as the soldiers saw off holders Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) 83-77 in a highly physical match at Nyayo on Saturday.

“It was a tough match but our defence strategy worked well. We also had better communication on the floor and were able to minimise turnovers and offensive rebounds towards the end of the match and that gave us the crucial win,” said Warriors captain John Washika.

The two sides exchanged leads throughout the match but it was Warriors who made sure they were in the lead on all breaks. They took a seven point lead after the first quarter but the dockers reduced it to three points into first half.

The lead was down to half a basket after the third quarter break but the soldiers capitalized on KPA’s mistakes to score 22 points against 17 for a win.

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