Basketball in Africa

Steven Omony and the Falcons set the stage for their heavyweight clash with D’Mark Power on Friday with a fourth straight victory in the Airtel National men’s top Basketball League at the YMCA on Sunday.

The Falcons thumped the reeling Nkumba Marines 80-44, with Omony nailing a game-high 17 points. Peter Elungat and Julius Lutwama, who was facing Nkumba for the first time since leaving the club at the start of the season, added 12 and 11 points respectively for the Falcons.

A key factor in the Falcons winning run has been their strong start to games and they didn’t spare Nkumba, beating them 22-8 in the first quarter and 25-7 in the second. Consequently, the second half was a just procession, even though the Marines improved on both ends of the floor, thanks to Danson Ngati, 17pts, and Wilson Otweyo, 11.

With eight wins, two defeats and a competitive roaster, the Falcons are in good shape to face their arch-rivals and two-time defending champions Power in the last game of first round. In others words, expect a contest worthy of the richest rivalry in local basketball.

Meanwhile, the KIU Titans recorded their ninth victory in 11 league games with a 64-44 victory over newly-promoted Rez Life.