KSSSA: Champions Butere, St. Mary's Yala off to flying starts in Kisumu

The latter were the first to draw blood, with Quinter Owade scoring a two-pointer from a beautiful run following a turnover but the Canons responded quickly through Brenda Akinyi with a brilliant three-pointer.

The match saw a nail-biting first two quarters with both teams showing their intent to win, but Olympic led 17-15 into the break.

However, Butere regained their mojo in the third and fourth quarters, blowing off the Nairobi champions 45-34 to earn their first three points.

Head coach Sylvester Odoo praised his charges for the deserved win.

“It was important for us to win that game. We now have to build on that win and make sure we win all our matches up to the final,” Odoo told Citizen Digital.

His counterpart Dennis Orek rued their loss due to inexperience and hoped for redemption in their second match on Wednesday.

“Inexperience played out in my girls in today’s match. We started off well but faded off in the third quarter. We couldn’t match Butere’s intensity,” noted Orek.

“We have to improve especially on turnovers heading into the next match,” he added.

Boys' matches saw reigning champions Laiser Hill suffer a 78-66 loss against Dagoretti, as former champions Dr. Aggrey encountered a similar fate, falling to Lukenya 62-42.

Rugby 15s also experienced exciting matchups at Jomo Kenyatta Stadium in Mamboleo.

An early kick-off saw hosts St. Mary's Yala hold on to stun 2024 champions All Saints Embu 10-08 in a nail-biting clash.

After throwing away two penalties, St. Mary's finally got off the mark with Timothy Wesonga scoring an excellent try on the stroke of halftime to lead 05-00.

All Saints rallied back in the second half to score a try and penalty, taking an 08-05 lead. However, St. Mary's struck at the death through Henry Odour to take home maximum points.

Head coach George Nyambane was over the moon following the win.

“The game was intense, we had a slow start but psyched the boys and came back to win. However, we need to be more composed and also convert our chances.”

His counterpart, Benson Mwenda, called on his charges to dust up and rise to the occasion in their next match against Upper Hill.

“The boys didn’t settle early enough in the game. We need to correct our mistakes and win our next match. We have no choice,” Mwenda said.

Another scintillating match saw reigning East African champions Kisii School rally from behind to stun record winners Kakamega School 16-14, while Menengai stunned Mang'u 46-05. Nairobi region champions thrashed hopeless Kwale Boys 26-0.

In hockey, record winners Friends School Kamusinga came back with a bang after three years in the cold, stunning Ringa Boys 1-0 in a thrilling encounter. St. Anthony Boys also thumped hosts Kisumu Day 1-0 while Alliance tormented Mbooni Boys 2-0. The match between Hospital Hill and St. Charles Lwanga ended in a barren draw.

In the girls' category, the St. Joseph's Girls Kitale and Nyamira match was postponed to Wednesday due to approaching darkness, ending prematurely goalless at halftime.

In handball, Musingu had a bright start, stunning St. Mary's Yala 46-26, while St. Joseph's Boys Kitale thrashed Coast's Kenyatta Boys 36-26.

Handege defeated North Eastern's Sheikh Ali 47-30.

In the girls' category, reigning champions Moi Girls Kamusinga saw off Nyakach Girls 27-19, while Kyeni Girls narrowly defeated St Claire's Nembu Girls 28-26.