Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) emerged as the champions of the Kenya National Basketball League men’s division after a commanding 68-56 victory over Equity Bank Dumas in Game Four of the playoff finals at the Makande Welfare Hall in Mombasa on Sunday.
In a best-of-five series, KPA sealed the title with a 3-1 overall scoreline, coming from behind in the opening quarter when James Mwangi put Dumas in the lead.
Martin Kitongo swiftly responded, levelling the score at 2-all.
Equity Bank Dumas took a 7-4 advantage on Victor Ochieng’s basket, but KPA fought back to tie the game at 10-10 before taking a slim 18-14 lead at the end of the first quarter with a shot by Eugene Adera.
Dumas regained momentum in the second quarter, building a 34-28 halftime lead after a three-point play by Faheem Juma following a 23-23 tie.
KPA coach Anthony Ojukwu praised his team’s mental toughness, stating, “After yesterday’s win, I told my players it was not going to be easy. They responded by showing their mental toughness.”
The KPA men’s team’s victory came a day after the women’s team also claimed the title undefeated. Ojukwu expressed his joy and highlighted the character displayed by both teams.
Trailing 43-46 in the third quarter, KPA staged a remarkable comeback, outscoring Dumas 25-10 in the final quarter. The turning point came when Martin Kitongo’s basket put KPA in the lead at 53-52, igniting the crowd’s excitement.
Eugene Adera, who was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP), contributed 23 points, while Kitongo and captain Job Byron added 12 points each.
Reflecting on the victory, Byron expressed his delight, saying, “It was hard, but we had to fight extra hard to win this one. It means a lot to me. I will cherish this forever.”
For Equity Bank Dumas, Faheem Juma stood out with 17 points, and James Mwangi contributed 10 points. Coach Carey Oketch acknowledged the team’s loss was due to a lack of concentration despite their efforts to contain KPA.
KPA had previously defeated Equity Bank 68-44 in Game Three, with Lennox Wanje scoring 20 points and Adera adding 14 points. Victor Bosire and Titus Musembi managed 10 points each for the bankers.
In addition to the men’s success, KPA’s women’s team also retained their title with a convincing 68-44 victory over Zetech University Sparks, who had initially led at halftime.
Meanwhile, in Nairobi, Thunder secured third place with an 81-71 win over Ulinzi. Thomas Kioko led Thunder’s scoring with 24 points, supported by Griffin Ligare with 22 points and Jack Agunda with 15 points.
In the Division One category, United States International University (USIU) Tigers claimed the men’s title, defeating Strathmore University 64-61, while USIU Flames clinched the women’s Division One title by defeating Zetech University Development side 50-46.
