The Unbeaten Run Comes To An End

A1 CHALLENGE: 48
KCC LEOPARDS: 55

Friday evening saw the return of basketball’s second round after a number of adjournments which quite go down well with the fans and a few of the other stakeholder’s. By 5:30pm all the excuses were thrown out of the window and the games were embraced.

The kick-off fixture was at 5:30 pm but was delayed a little. A1 Challenge was up against KCC Leopards. A1 Challenge was looking to stretch further its unbeaten run, while the defending champions KCC Leopards were hungry for revenge after that bad loss to A1 Challenge in the first round. The stage was set, the crowd was reeling on and the players were ready for action.

A1 welcomed the services of Mulwana Olivia and Dorothy to further beef up the options in the tactical aspect. Off went the whistle and the game begun. The first quarter was closely contested but KCC Leopards got the better of A1 Challenge in the first quarter. Helen and Baby were at it again as they orchestrated the KCC Leopard offense.

KCC Leopards were missing the services of Miriam Hamala who was inspirational in guiding them to the title last season. But that wasn’t a factor for the KCC ladies. They brought with them enough tenacity, grit and brains. They gelled well enough to outsmart the A1 Challenge ladies for the first two quarters.

By the third quarter A1 Challenge was playing catch-up for most of the time. Every second on the clock mattered and they seemed to get their tactics right, till a nearly fatal fall cost them one of their best defensive players on the day clad in “Number 11”. After the safety call break made by the umpire, KCC Leopards continued from where they had stopped. They stretched their lead with Baby getting a good number of 3-pointer shots and Helen grabbing crucial rebounds.

A1 Challenge was disjointed as opposed to their fluidity in first round. Overwhelmed with the KCC Leopard offense and well organized defense, A1 kept pushing and pushing but fell short on the day. After speaking with a few of the players they said that the loss come definitely as a wake up call to the entire A1 camp, promising to get their act together in their next game.

Well let’s wait and see.
KJ

Friday Night Action

KYU Warriors 74 Miracle Eagles 69

Warriors against Eagles can best be described with adjectives like end to end action, with both disciplined in their defensive game while totally utilizing the turn overs. For most of the game it was almost too close to call. The Warriors kept a marginal lead of 2 to 3 points till about the last quarter when the Miracle Eagles fell short and the Kyambogo Warriors burst the lead wide open ceasing every opportunity that was presented to them from the free throws and technical calls on their favor. Miracle Eagles with a fierce fan base which totally brought the roof down was disappointed in the dying minutes of the game when they just couldn't quite hold off the Warriors attack force. It was another hard fought victory for the KYU Warriors.

KCC Leopards 74 Makerere Sparks 57

The KCC Leopards having had a slow start were determined to get back on track and what better way to start with a victory against Sparks. The game also presented the clash of the "Babies" two former team-mates, honestly speaking the first and second quarters were too close to call, Miriam Hamala, once MVP of the KCC Leopards wasn't in sparkling form but Baby somehow single handedly rose upto the occassion,a galvanizing factor for her KCC team-mates and by the 3rd quarter, KCC had run away with the victory. As for Sparks it was now about damage control, having their key players on bench cause they were almost fouled out.

Nkumba Marines 69 KIU Titans 56

Nkumba Marines played in the 8:30 kick off. In a game that was not so well attended saw the Marines shine from the first till the 4th quarter. KIU i believe turned on their self-destruct button the moment they sold off their valuable players and failed to find replacements. With veterans like Olobo it was just a matter of when they were going to wear out and marines turn on their attack.