Champions Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) romped into the final of the FIBA Africa Zone Five Women's Club Championships beating APR 61-39 at Benjamin Mkapa indoor stadium in Dar-es-salaam Tanzania.
The porters had problems from the start as they trailed 24-11 in the first quarter. But they recovered to take a slim 13-12 edge in the second quarter.
A furiously contested second quarter developed after KPA captain Natalie Akinyi was introduced as the team fought right back.
She formed a lethal backcourt with Jemimah Knight who also returned after suffering a cut on the chin.
The duo brought points, energy, and urgency. KPA clawed back superbly and a last gasp three-point shot by Jemimah Knight took the scores to 26-24.
At halftime, KPA led 37-33 and when the play resumed in the last quarter, they tightened the defence and raved away, building a 47-30 cushion.
"We started badly. I don't know if it was stage-fright but my defence helped me," said Anthony Ojukwu.
"You saw I had to put in the players who know me and who know my system and they won for me the game," he said.
Akinyi nailed 17 points that included seven treys; Knight, Kristina Kings ,and Rita Aluoch all combined for a 26-point tally.
Elsewhere, Equity Bank Hawks whipped Young Sisters of Burundi 70-44 in a classification match at the same venue.
The victory means the bankers will now play home girls Vijana Queens who clobbered debutants Nile Legends 57-25 for position 5/6.
In an all too easy fixture, Equity Bank raved away to a 20-15 first-quarter advantage and hanged on for a 38-23 lead at the breather.
The second half was the same story as the Kenyans moved a notch higher with a 23-8 edge before falling 13-9 in the deciding stanza.
The bankers' coach David Maina said he was happy with the girls' performance and was looking forward to the next game.
DeeDee Were led Equity Bank with 13 points and four rebounds while Captain Melissa Otieno scored 11 and pulled down five rebounds. The Burundians had 16 points and nine rebounds from Niyonjuru Elisa and 10 more from Cynthia Irankunda.
