Kenya’s hopes of having a representative in the 2026 Women’s Basketball League Africa (WBLA) were dealt a blow on Friday after Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) lost 80-64 to Rwanda’s APR in the first semi-final of the Zone Five qualifiers in Kibaha, Tanzania.
Thedefeat means KPA will miss out on a place in the final and instead compete in the third-place playoff on Saturday against the loser of the other semi-final between Rwanda’s REG and Tanzania’s Fox Divas.
KPA struggled to contain APR throughout the contest, losing all four quarters. The Kenyan side trailed 26-21 after the opening quarter before conceding another 26 points in the second, which ended 26-24 in APR’s favour, leaving KPA behind 52-45 at half-time.
After the break, APR maintained their advantage, taking the third quarter 17-15 before closing out the game with an 11-4 run in the final quarter to seal an emphatic 80-64 victory.
APR’s trio of centre Jessica Jackson, forward Yacine Diop and forward Eleuteria Lhavanguane proved decisive, combining for 53 points to lead the Rwandan side into the final.
KPA’s Victoria Reynolds, who plays as a small forward, delivered an impressive performance, scoring a game-high 25 points. However, her efforts were not enough to inspire the Kenyan side to victory.
Meanwhile, Kenya’s second representative, Equity Hawks, also suffered defeat in the classification matches, going down 80-67 to Burundi’s Dynamo in the fifth-to-eighth-place playoffs.
Equity Hawks will face Tanzania’s Vijana Queens in the seventh-place playoff on Saturday, while Dynamo will take on fellow Burundian side Les Hippos in the match for fifth place.