Maseno Dukes shine as KCBL matches resume
Maxwell Oketch of Adili Titans in action during the first round of the 2021 Kisumu County Basketball League on Sunday, June 13, 2021.
What you need to know:
- Trevor Gari scored 22 points as holders All Stars overpowered Platinum 63-48 in their second match of the competition to recover from their loss to Maseno.
- Gari had also topped for All Stars in their clash against Maseno with 13 points.
After more than one year of waiting, the sixth edition of the Kisumu Classic Basketball League (KCBL) resumed on Sunday, with five matches at Manyatta Arabs Primary School.
The grassroot basketball league, which attracts teams from Western and Nyanza regions, had failed to resume since March 2020 due to the government’s ban on sporting activites following an increase in Covid-19 infections.
Sila Derrick starred for Maseno Dukes in day one of the competition, scoring 23 points to help the 2019 first runners up beat defending champions Kisumu All Stars 50-49.
Maseno then made clear of their intention of bagging their maiden title, edging out Urbanville 46-44 in their second match of round one, with Derrick again topping with 15 points.
The two victories fired Maseno to the top of the 11-team league on four points, same as Adili Titans, who also won all their two matches of the first round. Adili beat Urbanville 38-33, before seeing off Platinum 50-38.
Trevor Gari scored 22 points as holders All Stars overpowered Platinum 63-48 in their second match of the competition to recover from their loss to Maseno.
Gari had also topped for All Stars in their clash against Maseno with 13 points.
KCBL Director Brian Lusaga said that they are happy to eventually restart the competition and are hoping for “a very competitive season.”
He clarified that secondary schools are missing from this year's competition due to the ban by the government on students from taking part in games because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Also, they will wait longer to introduce the women’s edition since most of the teams that had registered were secondary schools. The junior league, which was underway by the time the coronavirus struck, also remains suspended.
