KPA blow away Swish in semifinal opener

Veteran guard Alima Doumbia and forward Aminata Samassekou orchestrated the Dockers' attack, while Swish struggled to generate clean looks against KPA's physical interior defence.

FILE: KPA Ladies (blue) against Lady Titans in a past Kenya National Women's Basketball Premier League

Defending champions Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) made a statement in their semifinal opener, routing first-time semifinalists Th3 Swish 80-42 Wednesday night at Nyayo Stadium Gymnasium.

The Dockers set the tone from the opening tip, racing into a 14-4 lead after the first quarter as their size and experience advantage quickly became apparent.

KPA's crisp ball movement and suffocating defensive pressure forced early turnovers, which they punished in transition to build a double-digit cushion before the first-quarter buzzer.

The gap widened in the second quarter. KPA outscored Swish 22-8 to take a commanding 36-12 lead into half-time, with their offence finding its groove in the paint.

Veteran guard Alima Doumbia and forward Aminata Samassekou orchestrated the Dockers' attack, while Swish struggled to generate clean looks against KPA's physical interior defence.

Any hopes of a Swish comeback evaporated in the third quarter as KPA continued to pull away, stretching their lead beyond 30 points. By the start of the fourth quarter, the Dockers were up 61-27, with their bench stepping up to keep the scoreboard ticking and the margin intact.

Th3 Swish, who made history by reaching the semi-finals for the first time after edging Strathmore Swords 2-1 in a gritty quarter-final series, had no answer for KPA's depth, defensive intensity and playoff pedigree.

The inexperience head coach Ariel Okal had flagged after their quarter-final win was exposed against a Dockers side that has held on to its league title and remains a benchmark in Kenyan women's basketball.

The 38-point rout underlined the gulf between the two sides in Game One. KPA's blend of experienced internationals, physicality and well-drilled rotations overwhelmed a young Swish side still finding its feet on the big stage.

The sides meet again in Game Two on Thursday at the same venue before the series shifts to Makande Gymnasium in Mombasa for Game Three over the weekend. Swish will need a response in Game Two to prevent the defending champions from taking a firm grip on the series.

In the other semifinal, Stanbic Aces started strongly against Equity Hawks, winning the opening quarter 19-16.

Equity responded in the second quarter, outscoring the bankers 19-11 to take a slim 28-27 lead into the halftime break.

Stanbic, however, regained control after the resumption, winning the third quarter 16-12 before sealing the hard-fought victory with a 23-20 scoreline in the final quarter.

The result gave Stanbic a 1-0 lead in the series, leaving Equity needing a victory in Game Two to level the contest.

Additional reporting by Dennis Kamariki