Thunder suffer loses on the road as KPA continue dominance

Kenya Basketball Federation (KBF) 2019 losing finalists Nairobi City Thunder had a weekend to forget as their winning streak was halted on the road, losing to Eldonets on Saturday before falling to Lakeside on Sunday.

As they play their final league matches against Strathmore Blades and Kenya College of Accountancy-University (KCA-U), coach Sadat Gaya will be looking to return his charges to winning ways and seal a place in the playoff.

Against Eldonets, Gaya’s charges lost 79-53 as the hosts overturned their 53-42 loss in Nairobi. Eldonets dominated in all quarters, leading the scores 34-29 at the halftime break.

Blow for KPA with key players set to miss Zone Five tournament

Thunder’s attempt at a comeback in the second half proved futile as Eldonets scored 23 points while restricting the Shauri-Moyo based club to 13 points to gain a 19-point advantage as they closed the match with an 18-11 win in the final period for the victory.

Against Lakeside where they had a perfect winning streak before Sunday’s match, Thunder were trailing 38-25 in the first half as they went on to lose 52-45, their first defeat to the Kisumu-based side.

“Eldonets played well in the third quarter and they put the match out of our reach. Against Lakeside, we trailed from the get-go and we just could not find a way to switch for a comeback. Both teams had done their research and we were outplayed. Both sides also enjoyed home advantage and had that going against us.

It was a tough weekend that also saw one of our players Tony Mwenda suffer a serious injury that puts him out for months. The earliest he could make a comeback on the pitch is probably in April next year as he fractured his arm twice and is in need of surgery.

With Tony unavailable, we will make adjustments ahead of remaining matches and fight to end the regular season on a high,” said Gaya.

Meanwhile, former champions Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) made easy work of Umoja at Makande on Saturday to win 71-32. The Sammy Kiki-coached men also picked maximum points on Sunday against the no-show Embakasi Youth (EMYBA).

The dockers are one match away from finishing the regular league top of the standings as they faceoff with Ulinzi Warriors next weekend. The soldiers, who have lost two matches to Lakeside and Thunder, are also chasing a top-place finish.