For the first time in history the club, KIU Titans advanced to the National Basketball League playoff finals.
The feat was reached after defeating two-time champions Warriors 3-1 in the best-of-five semifinals.
While Titans were never in control of Game 4 from tip-off – trailing by as many as 15 points at some stage, they somehow regrouped in fourth quarter that they started down by 8 points.
“We knew Warriors was going to fight.
“We knew we would be against the odds and lost our concentration especially in the first but when we came out of the locker room in the second, we decided enough was enough and we came back into the game with defense,” KIU coach Brian Wathum said of the turnaround.
“Warriors showed us their poker hand in Game 3 when they adjusted their strategy and we were hoping they go bigger which is what they did.
“We played small ball in the fourth quarter and our small line-up was defensively disciplined which is what we pledged at the end of the third quarter. We excelled at discipline which is what we preached pre-game and during the game.
“We were very efficient and executed well in the fourth quarter. Our offensive system allows us to have variety of scorers but this time Chris (Omanye), (Michael) Bwanga and (Samuel) Agutu carried us on their shoulders.”
Titans will face champions City Oilers who are chasing a fifth consecutive title in the final.
“We can’t deal with Oilers as individuals. We have to deal with them as a team they are. We know everyone can hurt us, so assignments will be given out and we will try to adjust,” Wathum briefly said of the final.
The finals are set to be played next year with the opening game of the seven-game spread set for January 5.
