National champions Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) are set to clash with compatriots Equity Bank Hawks in a quarterfinal encounter of the Africa Women’s Basketball League on Sunday in Alexandria, Cairo.
The anticipation is high for this all-Kenyan derby, with both teams well-acquainted due to their frequent meetings in the local scene, according to Ben Oluoch, the coach of Equity Bank Hawks.
“As the tournament progresses, my girls have become more comfortable and confident. It’s going to be an interesting one,” he noted. The matchup was confirmed after KPA finished second in Group ‘A,’ suffering a 120-77 defeat to Alexandria Sporting Club, while Hawks secured a third-place finish in Group ‘B’ with a 76-73 victory over Overdose Up Stadion of Cameroon.
In Friday’s clash against ASC, KPA faced a challenging start, trailing 39-14 in the opening stanza and failing to recover. The Egyptians, reigning champions, dominated with 18 successful three-point attempts out of 38, compared to KPA’s seven out of 30. Cerrra Dillard led the scoring for ASC with 20 points, supported by Destiny Pitts (18 points), Ager Amer (17 points), and Fatou Babou (14 points). Rita Aluoch stepped up for KPA with 12 points, while Belinda Okoth added 10.
KPA had previously secured three victories, defeating CNSS 82-46, Universite de Douala 74-59, and Customs 75-53. Meanwhile, Equity Bank Hawks clinched a dramatic win against Up Station, with Judith Pantaleo’s last-gasp three-pointer sealing the victory.
In their other matches, Hawks secured victories against ASPAC (87-69) but faced defeats against Interclube (80-55) and Rwanda Energy Group (84-50).
The semifinals and final are scheduled for Monday and Tuesday, with an additional classification match between ASPAC of Benin and CNSS of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Both teams finished at the bottom of their groups after losing all four preliminary matches.
Quarterfinal matchups
Universite de Douala vs. Rwanda Energy Group
Equity Bank vs. Kenya Ports Authority
Overdose Up Station vs. Alexandria Sporting Club
Customs vs. Interclube.
