Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) women’s basketball team are heading into the National Women’s Basketball Premier League playoffs with growing confidence after extending their unbeaten run with another dominant double at the Makande Gymnasium.
Dockers extend unbeaten streak as playoffs draw closer
The Dockers produced two emphatic performances over the weekend, overwhelming Equity Hawks 97-53 before dispatching Stanbic Aces 79-44 to strengthen their grip on top spot and underline their status as the team to beat heading into the postseason.
The victories took KPA’s tally to 42 points from 21 matches, leaving them unbeaten with only one regular-season assignment remaining against USIU Flames.
It has been a remarkably consistent campaign for the Mombasa side. Earlier in the season, KPA had already established a perfect record after winning their opening 15 matches, collecting 30 points in the process. Their run included convincing victories over Th3 Swish and Dream Girls, games in which they scored 82 and 102 points respectively.
Head coach Samuel Ocholla has repeatedly pointed to the balance between KPA’s offensive efficiency and defensive discipline as the foundation of their success.
That balance was again evident against Equity Hawks and Stanbic Aces, with KPA controlling both ends of the court and turning defensive pressure into attacking opportunities.
“The games were very well executed. We stuck to the game plan we had prepared before the two matches, and it worked perfectly,” Ocholla said.
The coach added that the players’ ability to move the ball and execute their defensive and offensive assignments was central to the two victories.
KPA’s current form is particularly significant because the Dockers are not merely accumulating regular-season wins; they are building momentum at the precise stage of the campaign when the pressure begins to rise.
The team had earlier declared its intention to finish the regular season at the top and secure the strongest possible position for the playoffs. After beating Safe Spaces 80-49 in July, Ocholla said the objective was to finish the second leg at the summit and enter the playoffs from a position of strength.
That target is now within reach.
Yet Ocholla remains cautious about looking too far ahead. Despite KPA’s impressive record, he insists the team must maintain its disciplined, game-by-game approach rather than become distracted by the prospect of the playoffs.
“Those wins are a big morale booster as we now prepare for the playoffs. But before we get there, our focus is on USIU. We have to finish our game against USIU first, then we will see who we meet in the playoffs,” Ocholla said.
His message reflects the challenge facing a team that has dominated the regular season: translating regular-season superiority into playoff success.
KPA are the defending champions and have made clear their ambition to keep the trophy in Mombasa. The players have responded with a level of consistency that has placed the Dockers firmly in control of the title race.
The unbeaten streak has also been built on a willingness to treat every opponent seriously. Earlier in the campaign, Ocholla stressed that the team would continue taking one game at a time, regardless of the opponent’s position in the standings.
KPA sweep aside Equity Hawks and Stanbic Aces to maintain perfect run
That mentality could prove crucial once the playoffs begin, when the margin for error becomes considerably smaller.
For now, however, KPA can take satisfaction from a regular season that has gone almost exactly to plan. They have combined scoring power with defensive intensity, remained unbeaten through 21 games and put themselves in pole position ahead of the decisive stage of the competition.
The final regular-season game against USIU will offer the Dockers one more opportunity to sharpen their preparations before the playoffs.
And with the league’s leading side showing no signs of slowing down, the challenge for their rivals is clear: someone will have to find a way to stop KPA before the Dockers can complete what has so far been a near-perfect march towards another championship.
The playoffs may be where the real test begins, but on current evidence, KPA are the team everyone else will be watching.
