Thunder seize KBF playoff final lead

Thunder recovered from a six-point half-time deficit to stun Ulinzi Warriors 75-73 in Game One of their Kenya Basketball Federation (KBF) men’s Premier League final playoff at the Nyayo Gymnasium in Nairobi.

Ulinzi who topped the regular league season and toppled champions KPA in the playoff semis, came into the clash as favourites and raced to 33-39 half time lead following 20-17 and 19-16 wins in the opening quarters.

But Thunder rallied back to claim 24-18 and 18-16 victories in the closing quarters with captain Griffin Ligare contributing 20 points to lead their charge.

Ulinzi’s Eric Mutoro continued his hot scoring streak with a game-high 27 points with Victor Bosire adding 14 but the pair were unable to break down a resolute Thunder side.

Despite the win, Thunder head coach Sadat Gaya warned they made some mistakes which they must fix in order to see out the series.

“We missed a lot of shots, first half our scoring and defense was horrible. Second half we picked it up, once again a close game. Griffin made a huge shot to seal the win. Once again my bench players and coaches came through when it mattered,” Gaya said.

The two meets on Thursday at the same venue for Game Two.