Ulinzi Warriors head coach Bernard Mufutu says they were extremely stretched despite defeating Thunder 64-56 in the men’s Basketball Premier League over the weekend.

Mufutu has however lauded his team for fighting hard to seal the win, in a test that would have been easily lost.

The coach has revealed they were keen to avoid predictability by their opponents, which paid off.

“It was a tight match but entertaining at the same time, what worked for us is letting every player score without depending on the obvious ones which was part of team strategy. Our rebounding was better this time and we are taking it one game at a time, as I always say,” Mufutu said.

The coach also noted how significant the players who came off the bench were in their victory.

“The guys from the bench did a very good job. We had a very terrible third quarter, which we needed to react to in the last one. From the bench there was such an impact.

“We should be able to keep up the same pace and same numbers of points per quarter but we shall try and make adjustments on where we feel we failed to do a good job as a team,” Mufutu added.

Ulinzi are second on the table with 32 points after 18 matches, winning 14 and losing four.

 On the other hand, Thunder are fourth on the table with 27 points after playing 17 matches , winning 10 and losing seven.

Meanwhile, Equity Dumas head coach Carrey Odhiambo says their 59-46 win over Thunder was a sweet revenge as they had lost the first leg to them.

“The victory was very important for us especially after losing the first leg with about five points which means we are heading in the right direction. Our goal remains to win the league but our positioning in the playoffs is very important. The team has started getting better but we still have areas we need to work on,” Odhiambo said.

The win saw the bankers maintain top position in the league with 32 points from 17 matches, winning 15 and losing only two.

Elsewhere, Strathmore Blades head Coach Tony Ochieng whose side defeated Zetech Titans 67-60 says their focus is on playoffs as they look forward to finish “a good position in the regular league.”

“We are just building momentum for the playoffs. We are good on three pointers as well as transition and defense as we also control the boards. The squad rotation is good and working for us well,” Ochieng said.

Blades are third on the log with 32 points, having played 20 games, winning 12 and losing eight while Zetech Titans are last on the log with 19 points from 17 matches played, winning two and losing 15.

FULL WEEKEND RESULTS

KU ORYX 25- 41 UON Dynamites- WP

ANU Panthers 51- 66 Strathmore Swords-WP

Storms 36-28 Eldonets- WP

Eagle Wings 40-51 Eldonets- WP

Umoja 53-42 Eldonets Platinum-MP

Zetech Titans 60-67 Strathmore Blades-MP

Ulinzi Warriors 64-56 Thunder- MP

Zetech Titans 53-62 Eldonets Platinum- MP

Equity Dumas 59-36 Thunder -MP