Laiser Hill, Kaya Tiwi renew rivalry with Dagoretti, Butere in basketball finals

There will be no love lost when former national basketball boys champions Laiser Hill face off with familiar foes Dagoretti High in the final of this year’s Kenya Secondary Schools Sports Association (KSSSA) National Term One games at Nova Pioneer School, Eldoret.

In the girls’ contest, defending champions will take on rivals Butere in the final to be played at the same venue. The finalists will square it out for bragging rights after qualifying for the 2023 Federation of East Africa Secondary Schools Sports Association (FEASSSA) games set for Huye, Rwanda in August.

A fierce battle is expected when Rift Valley’s Laiser Hill who are keen reclaim the title they lost to Dr Aggrey from Coast seek revenge on Dagoretti who eliminated them in last year’s semis. Laiser Hill have been in top form winning all their Pool B matches, the same as Dagoretti who dominated Pool A.

The two sides won their respective semi-final matches to secure the final meet. Laiser Hill thrashed Lukenya School 68-36 whereas Dagoretti High labored to a 59-52 win against Dr Aggrey. Dagoretti were so determined to avenge last year’s final loss that shattered their dreams of winning their first national title that they fought from the onset to the buzzer.

Dagoretti captain Eugene Jesse said that they will carry their fighting spirits into the final. “Winning against the defending champions was not easy. We gave our best and even had to work harder because the game was closely contested and most of the time the difference was less than five points. They were a very good side but I guess we wanted the victory more,” Jesse said.

Kaya Tiwi who forced a narrow 49-46 victory against unrelenting Loreto Limuru will be hoping to extend their good run against Butere. The Coast region girls have beaten their Western rivals in their last two encounters with the latest being their 60-54 win in their last Pool A match. Butere Girls on the other hand beat Nairobi’s Our Lady of Mercy South B 64-36 to reach the final. Dr Aggrey will play Lukenya while Loreto will take on Our Lady of Mercy in third place playoffs.

In handball, defending champions Hospital Hill and Moi Girls Kamusinga inched closer to retaining their titles after outclassing their opponent’s in the semis. Hospital Hill will lock horns with Mbooni in the boys’ title decider while Kamusinga will face off with St Joseph’s Kitale in a repeat of last year’s final. Hospital Hill beat former champions Musingu 26-14 while Mbooni edged out Manyatta 19-17. Kamusinga were too good for Nyathuna cruising into the final with a convincing 29-7 win whereas St Joseph’s chalked a 22-16 win against Miranga. The losers will play for the third position.