Laiser Hill Academy from Kajiado County displayed razor-sharp skills to cut Stafford Boys High School from Nakuru into threads to clinch the Rift Valley Region Secondary Schools’ basketball title in a mouthwatering final at Nakuru Boys High School in Nakuru City on Sunday.
The national champions, under the guidance of coach Handel Munztsi, showed what material they are made of when they tormented their opponents with dribbling and dunking skills that saw them win the match 78-39.
“The boys gave some thrilling display and remained razor-sharp focused in the entire game. This is a major victory under my tutelage as I joined Laiser Hill Academy in January this year,” said Munztsi.
“We wanted to get back to our best form. It has been long since we participated in the regional games and this victory at the regional level is like a dress rehearsal for our quest to retain the national title and book a ticket for the East African Games,” said Munztsi.
However, despite winning the regional title, coach Munztsi said there was still a lot of work ahead to perfect the playing unit ahead of the national championships.
“We need to improve on ball rebounding and our shots selection which was a little bit awful and were not hitting the target. These are things that I will work on ahead of the championships,” said Munztsi.
Team captain Rashid Shaban was elated by the victory and said: “Our hard work has paid dividends. It was not an easy final match because our opponents gave us a lot of challenge but we managed to tame them in their backyard,” said Shaban.
Stafford Boys High School captain Peter Thagichu said reaching the final of the regional championship was a big achievement for the team.
“In 2020 we reached the finals of the Nakuru County and we were hoping to proceed to the regional finals, but the pandemic broke and our plans were scattered. We’re happy this year we have reached the finals and losing is a learning curve for us. We live to fight for another day,” said Thagichu.
Stafford Boys High School assistant coach Bernard Mwangi said he was impressed by the boys’ performance.
“Laiser Hill Academy are swift and I thank God we reached the final and pushed our opponents to the limit,” said Mwangi.
Laiser Hill Academy beat Kapsabet High School 101-41 in the semis, as Stafford Boys High School defeated St Leo Secondary School 58-25.
In boys’ handball, St Albert Kamito Secondary School from West Pokot County beat St Mary’s Kitany from Elgeyo Marakwet 28-18 to lift the diadem, while in girls’ final, St Joseph’s Girls High School, Kitale from Trans Nzoia County lifted the cup after beating champions St Joseph’s Kirandich Secondary School from Nakuru 27-10. BY DAILY NATION