KEN - KCB Lions dominace in premier league continues

NAIROBI (Premier league) - Champions Kenya Commercial Bank "Lions" continued their sterling run in the premier league when they posted a 62-52 win over International Christian Center (ICC) at Nyayo National Stadium gymnasium.

The bankers who have now gone eight straight games without defeat trailed 9-11 in the first quarter, recovered to take the second 17-12 against a stubborn ICC side that gave as much as they got in this Saturday clash.

The third quarter was deadlocked 13-13 as ICC refused to be cowed by Lions big names. But in the last quarter, KCB superiority was clearly showed as they raced away with a 24-11 cushion to increase the points tally to 16.

Tobias Onyango once again led the Lions hunt with 19 points, Yoni Wanambiro nailed 17 while Victor Odendo shot 10. For the battling ICC, Luka Lukongo continued to rise as a key scorer for the team was clear as nailed 17 points.

International star, Richard Osano connected for 19 points while Bobby Okawako managed 20 as former champions Co-operative Bank of Kenya whitewashed Java Warriors 98-68 in another top fixture.

Co-op led in all quarters taking the first 15-12, the second 20-17 before the two teams broke for the intermission, After resumption, it was all too easy as Co-op build a 24-16 in the third and 39-23 to take the fourth. Alex Lubasi contributed Warriors 24 points.

At last Kisumu Cruisers showed up and went straight to work taking the first quarter 9-5 but experience soon showed as Storms clawed back to tie 10-10 in the second. The game remained locked 17-17 in the third before the victors sailed away 16-1 in the last.

Linda Alando led Storms scoring tally with 16 points while international Brenda Odula hit nine. Sharon Midamba made 11 while Doreen Munyere collected 10 for the lakeside girls whose veteran tactician Peter Ochara said. "I salute my players efforts but lack of sposnsoships is demoralising our efforts to mould a winning team."

USIU Tigers blanked Strathmore University 69-41 as they raced to a 15-6 first quarter advantage and never looked back. USIU went to the break firmly on the driving seat leading 31-18 as a dejected Strathmore were left wondering what was happening.

Abel Nson and Zadock Adika were too much for the losers shooting down baskets upon the bewildered heads of their rivals led by Ken Maru, Keith Oruko and Paul Nyakinda. The duo ended up with 21 and 17 points respectively while Strathmore had international Roy Kahure struggling for a paltry eight.

University of Nairobi "Terrorists" pipped Java Warriors 58-57 in a closely fought tie that would have gone either way but the campus lads survived only because Java missed key foul shots that would have given them the much needed two points. Both teams had tied 53-35 with over a minute to play as the game swung from one end to the other.

UoN missed seven free throws as Java came back again to tie the scores 57-57 from another foul shot by Ian Wachiye with 0:05 second left. But he missed the other that would have given them the advantage after Rodney Genga had been hit for a technical foul by international referee Joseph Amoko.

Eric Maosa then gave Terrorists the win when he also connected for one of the many two free shots after unecessary foul by Howard Juma. Both teams that was the order of the day as the game wound down.

It was double celebrations for USIU as their ladies side, Flames torched Kisumu Cruisers 75-40 behind 20ppints from Hilda Indasi, 16 from Samba Mjomba and 15 from Evlyne Nora. The lakeside girls , who had gone down 37-48 to Sprite Storms, had 18 from Sharon Midamba

Dann OWERRE
FIBA