Equity Dumas ready for Terror challenge as KBF playoffs get underway

Kenya Basketball Federation (KBF) men’s league title-hopefuls Equity Dumas play University of Nairobi (UoN) Terror in a repeat of last season’s best-of-three quarters.

The two sides begin their clash on Friday 21 April from 6pm at Nyayo Indoor Arena, with the bankers keen not to suffer the same fate they did last season, losing Game One to the varsity side and had to play all three matches to sail through.

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Additionally, the results of their second leg clash do not inspire confidence for the bankers’ fan base as they fell to the students. However, technical director David Maina maintains that the team is well prepared and ready to finish the job in two matches.

“We do not want a repeat of last season. We have prepared and are heading to the matches with a positive, winning mentality. We cannot afford to be complacent as we are well aware of the kind of opponent we are up against. We are, however, not under pressure despite the outcome of our previous match-ups with Terror,” Maina offered adding that the team has to translate their regular season form to the playoffs.

Dumas looked set for a top-place finish in the regular league but dropped crucial points against Terror Eldonets, matches they were expected to win. However, they head to the best-of-three quarters buoyed by their result against holders Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) in their last league match. Dumas won the encounter 72-70, away in Mombasa which should give them a boost in confidence.

“We cannot dwell on what happened in the regular league. That would be a dangerous assumption. The playoffs are a different ball game and we have to be cautious,” Maina added.

Sammy Kiki’s men, KPA, led the standings after 22 matches in the 12-team league on 42 points, having only lost twice.

Second on the log is Dumas who suffered four defeats in 22 matches for 40 points, two more than former league champions Ulinzi Warriors (16-6).

In fourth place is Strathmore University Blades (14-8) while Nairobi City Thunder (11-11) Eldonets Platinum (11-11), University of Nairobi (UoN) Terror (9-13) and Kenyatta University (K.U) Pirates (9-13) complete the top eight list for the men.