Basketball in Africa

by Sande Bashaija
Lugogo

RESULTS
Power 66-56 KIU
Canons 70-78 Warriors
Women
KIU Rangers 49-78 UCU
Cubs 63-58 Mak Cubs

Table leaders Kyambogo Warriors endured nervous moments but eventually saw off Uganda Christian University (UCU) Canons 78-70 in a dramatic MTN-Fuba League game played Wednesday night at Lugogo Indoor Stadium.

After a quarter in command (16-15), Canons found themselves trailing 28-35 at halftime but launched a terrific rally that sent Warriors players and their fans into panic.
At the end of third quarter, Warriors had a 14-point advantage (58-44) but halfway into the last session, Canons had chopped the difference to only six points (58-64) following a three-pointer from Robert Mugabe.
The game became more dramatic with three minutes to play when Kenyan import Adams Njoroge (9 points) shot from outside the arc and Geoffrey Omondi got another field goal to make it 63-64.
But as the tide went a notch higher, Omondi fouled out followed by Eliud Eliezer, Njoroge and Mugabe, leaving a weakened Canons side that couldn’t stop Warriors from recording their 11th win out of 12. Though Warriors later lost Steven Okias (17), Richard Atuhairwe (17) and Joshua Etalu to foul trouble, they held on to complete a double over a side that was unbeaten in last year’s regular season. Canons, who had Ivan Enabu with a game high 21 points, have now lost 6 out of 13 encounters.

In the other men’s fixture, Ben Komakech scored 26 points as Sadolin Power moved to second place with a 66-56 over Kampala International University (KIU). Elsewhere, Flavia Oketcho had 12 points to her name but left with a warped upper lip in UCU women’s 78-49 pounding of KIU Rangers.