Champions Thunder and Stanbic Aces lead in the KBF Premier League standings

Feliciano Perez (left) of Nairobi City Thunder dribbles past Peter Odhiambo of NBK Phoenix in a league match at Nyayo Gymnasium.[Stafford Ondego, Standard]

Unstoppable Nairobi City Thunder maintained their flawless run to consolidate their top spot in the Kenya Basketball Federation (KBF) Men’s Premier League.

Thunder, who are looking to defend their title and extend their reign to three years in a row, continued with their winning streak now in its third season.

They have 20 points from 10 rounds of matches and will be seeking to make it 22 in their last match of the first leg.

Stanbic Shields, who beat African Nazarene University (ANU) Wolfpacks 81-56, are second with 18 points from seven wins and four defeats, having completed their first leg assignment at the weekend.

Former champions Ulinzi Warriors missed an opportunity to narrow the point gap between them and Thunder when they lost to newbies Moischers Basketball Club 62-64 to suffer their fourth loss of the season.

They are tied on 16 points with Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) and Umoja Basketball Club, who were not in action over the weekend. A spirited fight helped Moischers edge out the soldiers and end their losing streak. Individual brilliance carried the day as on-fire Jeff Onyango knocked down 29 points as the Warriors' defence struggled to contain him.

Elvis Akweya also had a great day out, scoring 15 points, while Peejay Hawi Kasuna and Didier Irakoze made a contribution of seven points apiece.

Elisha Odhiambo led Ulinzi with 20 points, with Brans Nzioka and Simon Rapudo adding 14 and 10, respectively.

Determined not to suffer their eighth straight defeat, Moischers fought tooth and nail from the tip-off as they matched the Warriors point for point for a similar score of 21 in the first quarter.

Ulinzi then gained control of the game in the second quarter, scoring 15 points against the opponents’ eight for a 36-29 halftime lead.

Having gained confidence from their first quarter show, Mosischers recovered to win the third and fourth periods 16-9 and 19-17 to end their losing streak.

ANU Wolfpacks bounced back from their loss to Shields to beat the University of Nairobi (UoN) 75-69, securing three points from the weekend to move out of relegation.

In the women’s Premier League race, Stanbic Aces toppled defending champions KPA, who were not in action from the top following their 54-51 win against United States International University of Africa (USIU-A) Flames.

They have 19 points, one more than KPA, who are the only side with an unbeaten record. Aces have won nine and lost one, whereas the Dockers have played nine. Strathmore Swords, who ended their first leg campaign with a 74-66 win against USIU-A Flames, are third with 17 points.