Former Kenya Basketball Federation (KBF) Women’s Premier League champions Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) on Saturday beat holders Equity Bank Hawks 63-53 in their third match of the semi-final play-offs at Makande Hall, Mombasa.

The victory saw the dockers take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five series, inching closer to securing a final slot.

The bankers will have everything to play for today, for they must win to draw level with KPA and set the stage for the decisive fifth match. A defeat will be very costly for Equity, for they will relinquish their crown, marking the end of their reign. However, they face an uphill task, for the dockers will not let them have their way.

KPA, on the other hand, will be hoping to get the job done today so that they can focus on the final as they look to recapture the trophy they lost last season. Ivorian star Alima Doumbia starred for the dockers with 15 points, with Yvonne Atieno adding 13.

Evergreen Betty Kananu led Hawks with 11 points, while Jemimah Knight scored 10.

The dockers, who began the series with a defeat, capitalised on home advantage, dominating their guests from the whistle to take the first quarter 19-17. They continued to have an edge over the bankers even though the first half was evenly contested, scoring 16 points against Equity’s 12 to take a 35-29 half-time lead.

On resumption, the dockers were more rejuvenated, and it was in the third quarter that they won the match as they took it 14-8 to create a 12-point gap. The bankers fought on in the fourth period, scoring 16 points against KPA’s 14, but it was a little too late to salvage the game as they succumbed to their second straight loss in the series.

In Women’s Division One, Dream Girls secured their promotion to the Premier League after beating Lady Titans 3-0 in the best of three semi-final contest.

The Everlyn Kedogo-coached side yesterday forced a half-basket win against the hard-fighting Lady Titans, who were hoping to win game three and revive their hopes of remaining in the title race.

After a slow start that saw Lady Titans take a 19-13 lead at the break of the first quarter, Dream Girls recovered to take the second 14-9 and narrow the Titans’ lead to a single basket. They totally outplayed the Titans in the third quarter to stretch their lead to five points.

The Lady Titans were without the stronger in the final period, scoring 15 points against Dream Girls’ 11, but the latter carried the day thanks to their spirited fight in the second and third quarters.

In Men’s Division One, Coastal Kings will be hoping to bounce back from yesterday’s 41-58 loss to Snipers to keep their Premier League promotion dream alive. Snipers secured a 2-1 lead and only need to win today to secure their place in the final.