Playoff battles take shape in KBA League

The Khomas Basketball Association (KBA) League playoffs have begun to take shape at the University of Namibia (Unam) Gym Hall in Windhoek, with early series leads established across the Women’s Premier League, Premier League and Division One.

The best-of-seven playoffs opened on Saturday and continued on Tuesday evening, with Unam Phoenix making the strongest early statement by taking a 2-0 lead over Basketball Artists School (BAS) Falcons in the Women’s Premier League.

Meanwhile, Unam Wolves and Unam Rebels traded victories to leave their Premier League series tied at one-all.

Phoenix punish Falcons inside

Phoenix followed Saturday’s commanding 80-31 victory over Falcons with a 71-53 win on Tuesday to move two victories clear in the series.

Their advantage has largely been built close to the basket and from Falcons’ inability to protect possession.

Phoenix scored 56 points in the paint in each encounter for a combined 112, compared with Falcons’ 46 across the two games. Falcons have meanwhile committed 79 turnovers, including 41 in the opener and another 38 on Tuesday.

Phoenix made those mistakes count most heavily in game one, scoring 43 points from turnovers, 23 on the fast break and another 21 from second chances. They also outrebounded Falcons 67-50 as the latter were held to 21.3% shooting from the field.

Falcons produced a much-improved showing in game two, even winning the rebounding battle 68-62 and trailing only 46-42 heading into the final quarter.

However, Phoenix again made the difference when it mattered, closing the encounter with a 25-11 fourth period. They also scored 21 points from turnovers to Falcons’ nine and continued to find their way inside for another 56 paint points.

Falcons are now left with the puzzle of reducing their turnovers and limiting Phoenix’s access to the paint, with little room for error as two more defeats would end their finals hopes.

Ongos turn game around

Ongos Shooting Stars also made a winning start to the Women’s Premier League playoffs with a 67-42 victory over Nust Dodgers on Saturday.

Dodgers had the better start and led 18-15 after the opening quarter, before Shooting Stars turned the match on its head by outscoring them 38-11 across the second (20-6) and third periods (18-5).

Ongos transformed a three-point deficit into a 53-29 lead heading into the final period. That turnaround came despite Dodgers winning the overall rebounding battle 62-59.

Instead, Shooting Stars did the damage by forcing errors and converting them, recording 22 steals and scoring 22 points from turnovers.

Dodgers committed 34 turnovers and failed to make any of their 13 three-point attempts as they finished at 24% from the field.

Rebels answer Wolves

The Premier League series between Unam Wolves and Unam Rebels has produced the closest battle so far, with the sides sharing the opening two games.

Wolves drew first blood with a 69-61 victory on Saturday after leading for 39 minutes and 29 seconds of the encounter.

They dictated much of game one through their transition and interior play, outscoring Rebels 50-30 in the paint and 27-3 on the fast break, while also recording 24 assists to Rebels’ eight. Wolves never trailed after taking control in the opening quarter.

Rebels, however, found the response three days later with a 64-54 victory that levelled the series.

Wolves appeared to have taken control after winning the second quarter 20-7 to turn a 14-9 deficit into a 29-21 half-time advantage.

Rebels then completely changed the contest with a 23-6 third quarter, taking a nine-point lead into the final period before seeing out the result.

Their defence also took away many of the areas Wolves had used to win game one.

Wolves’ paint production fell from 50 points to 22, while their fast-break scoring dropped from 27 to six. They also shot just 22.4% from the field after making 35.9% in the opener.

Despite winning the rebounding battle 59-53 in the return fixture, second-chance points 17-5 and bench scoring 31-18, Wolves could not overcome Rebels’ success in shutting down their efficiency inside and transition game.

QBC dominate the glass

Quality Basketball Club (QBC) opened their Premier League series against Nust Gladiators with a 91-69 victory on Saturday after turning a one-point half-time advantage into a comfortable finish.

QBC led just 37-36 at the break before winning the third quarter 30-18 and the fourth 24-15, outscoring Gladiators 54-33 over the second half.

Their biggest edge came on the glass, where QBC outrebounded Gladiators 75-47, including a 27-15 advantage in offensive rebounds.

That helped them score 58 points in the paint to Gladiators’ 38 and produce a 26-15 advantage in second-chance points. QBC’s depth also contributed 35 bench points compared with nine from Gladiators.

Despite QBC making only four of their 24 three-point attempts, their dominance inside told its own story. They converted 51.8% of their two-point shots and repeatedly created extra opportunities through their work on the offensive boards.

Cadets capitalise on turnovers

Unam Cadets meanwhile beat Nust Reapers 74-56 in their Division One opener, although Reapers held the edge in several hustle categories.

The latter outrebounded Cadets 54-52 and held advantages in second-chance points (21-19), fast-break scoring (19-14) and bench production (32-28). However, all of that counted for little as Reapers repeatedly gave the ball away.

Reapers committed 44 turnovers, with Cadets recording 30 steals and converting those mistakes into 41 points. Cadets also moved the ball more effectively with 23 assists to Reapers’ 13 and shot 38.2% from the field compared with 29.2%.

Allies finish Wolves II off

Team Allies completed the opening Division One action with a 95-67 win over Unam Wolves II, built on ball security, perimeter shooting and a dominant final quarter.

Allies scored 36 points from turnovers compared with Wolves II’s eight after forcing 29 turnovers while committing only 12 themselves.

They were also highly efficient from outside, converting 13 of 25 three-pointers for 52%, while Wolves II made only six of 35 attempts from deep at 17.1%.

Wolves II nevertheless remained within nine points at 72-63 after three quarters, having also won the rebounding battle 55-44.

Allies then shut the door with a 23-4 final quarter to stretch what had still been a competitive contest into a 28-point victory.

At the time of going to print yesterday, Ongos Shooting Stars were scheduled to face Nust Dodgers in game two of their Women’s Premier League series at 19:00 at Unam Gym Hall.

The Premier League card had QBC and Nust Gladiators due to contest game two of their series at 21:00.

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