Basketball in Africa

KAMPALA

DMark Power don’t look any different in the Airtel National Basketball League than they were before the Fiba Africa Zone V Club Championship.
On evidence of Friday’s 72-61 win over UCU Canons at YMCA, not much has changed but so has the opposition.

The two-time defending champions, now 13-4, continue to win games without playing that well. UCU, fifth with an 11-6 record, remain anything except being contenders. A sixth loss this term means the university side has lost at least once to each of the other four sides in the top five. Power have now completed a season double.

The latest pain, coming three weeks after their last game, a 72-42 rout by log leaders Falcons, was inflicted by Isaac Luggudde. He came off the bench to score 10 of his 14 points in the fourth quarter. Luggudde can now forget his peripheral role in the Zone V where Power finished third.

The re-jigged starting five had former Miracle Eagles’ guard Colin Mukiza start a game. His return was meager four points.

Jimmy Enabu and Ben Komakech, carrying knocks from Zone V, sat out the entire second half. When coach Bernice Ankunda withdrew Mukiza after eight minutes on the first period, Mukiza never returned. It took Power until 3.32 to play in that period to score. Forward Isaac Afidra broke the duck. The skipper went on to finish with 17 points and 12 rebounds.