Busia crowned KYISA men basketball champions

High-riding Busia are the new Kenya Youths Inter-Counties Sports Association (KYISA) Games men basketball champions.

Busia achieved the feat on Friday afternoon after beating the never-say-die Makueni 51-46 in a nerve-wracking encounter that saw Makueni score 21 points in the fourth quarter to fall by two-and-half baskets.

It was a seesaw battle that called for time-outs in the closing moments of the game as Busia coach Christine Wabala urged her players to maintain their composure to keep their opponents at bay.

The hosts had taken a comfortable 14-8 lead in the first quarter  and 14-8 in the second quarter to take a 21-16 lead at the break.

The start of the third quarter saw Busia open up a 16 point lead but Makueni’s late rally narrowed the gap but it was too late to deny the home team the winner’s trophy they duly deserved.

They join the list of counties to have won the title since the inception of the Games in 2014 in Laikipia County.

The border county reached the finals in Nandi County in 2018 before losing to Kisumu who failed to defend their title this year.

In the semi-finals, Busia beat Nakuru 36-31 while Makueni eclipsed Turkana 58-42 in the other semis.

“We worked hard and got it. Having lost to Kisumu last year, we came back to the drawing table and the dividends paid off,” Wabala said.

Busia captain Haron Agingo said it was a tight game but they  held onto the lead, noting that they trained enough for the game.

Makueni coach Joshua Kilei said it was real tough game, “ Busia is a good team and congratulations to them. We have made tremendous improvement compared to last year when we ended the games without winning a single match.