Ulinzi Warriors, Hippos to battle for East Africa BCC glory at Nyayo Gymnasium

Ulinzi edged fellow Kenyans Umoja 68–64 in a tense encounter, while Les Hippos dispatched another Kenyan side, Kenya Ports Authority (KPA), 75–64 to book their place in the regional decider.

The unbeaten Soldiers, under head coach Bernard Mufutu, will be aiming to maintain their flawless run when they face the resilient Hippos, who have only suffered one defeat in the tournament against Umoja during the group stage.

The final tips off at 6:00 p.m. (EAT).

In their semifinal clash, Ulinzi started strongly, winning the first quarter 20–11 and extending their lead with a 20–18 edge in the second quarter to go into halftime up 40–29.

After the break, the Soldiers continued to dominate, taking the third quarter 15–14 before narrowly losing the final period 21–13 a late surge that wasn’t enough for Umoja.

Leonard Rapudo starred for Ulinzi with 26 points, while Brans Nzioka and captain John Washika added 12 points each.

In the other semifinal, Les Hippos outclassed KPA 75–64. The Dockers started poorly, losing the first two quarters 16–20 and 9–16 to trail 25–36 at halftime.

The second half was evenly matched, with both the third and fourth quarters ending 19–19 and 20–20 respectively, but KPA couldn’t overturn the deficit.

Eugene Adera, Salim Kisilu, and Tom Bush Wamukota combined for 44 points for KPA, though their efforts fell short of securing victory.

KPA will now face Umoja in the third-place playoff at 3:30 p.m. (EAT) a repeat of their group stage encounter, which KPA won 75–64 on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Gambela City of Ethiopia will take on Stein Warriors of Tanzania in the fifth-place classification match starting at 1:00 p.m. (EAT).