Warriors recovered from losing Game One in Kisumu to win Game Two and Three in Nairobi and set up a date against the energetic Strathmore Blades who beat last season’s finalists Thunder to earn a slot in the semis.
Ulinzi Warriors have vowed they will go for nothing short of the defence of their Kenya Basketball Federation Premier League title after sailing to the semis of this season’s play-offs with a 2-1 victory over Kisumu Lakeside.
Warriors recovered from losing Game One in Kisumu to win Game Two and Three in Nairobi and set up a date against the energetic Strathmore Blades who beat last season’s finalists Thunder to earn a slot in the semis.
“We are going for nothing short of the title. We are determined and we know we are capable,” said Eric Mutoro, the Warriors captain.
Coach William Balozi said; “We faced a very tough match in the quarters and after losing Game One, we needed to improve our performance because it would have been such a bad thing as defending champions to be eliminated in the quarters. Now we need to focus on the semis and work harder to ensure we close out the series early.”
In Game Three on Sunday, Warriors were in no mood for mistakes and the returning Valentine Nyakinda and Victor Bosire powered them with decent performances. Skipper Mutoro was the toast of the side, pumping in 22 points for the soldiers while Nyakinda had 13 as they won 86-67.
Despite being outscored in the last two quarters by two point margins, Warriors had done well in the first half of the game to secure the win early.
Meanwhile, Equity Bank will take on Kenya Ports Authority in the semis. The bankers also bounced off from a loss in Game One to win the series 2-1. They clinched the tie breaking third game 78-45 with Davis Siaji contributing to a massive 25 points.