Basketball in Africa

KCCA Leopards 54-53 UCU Lady Canons, OT (Leopards lead series 3-2)
Falcons 57-62 Warriors (Warriors lead series 3-2)

All KCCA Leopards needed to win game 5 of the ANBL playoff finals was clutch play from their top players. It got exactly that as center, Martha Soigi scored 4 points and guards, Flavia Oketcho and Sarah Nassuna added a pair of free throws each to lead Leopards to a 54-53 edge out of Lady Canons in OverTime.

Leopards (3-2) are now one game away from clinching a title they last won in 2010. Soigi had game high 20 points that went along with 13 rebounds, Nassuna scored 10 and Oketcho added 8 in the important victory.

KCCA took the first two quarters 12-8 and 20-18 but were held to a playoff low of 3 points in the third quarter and tied at 11 in the fourth to push the game to OverTime. Lorraine Akiny (10 points, 15 rebounds) made a lay-up as normal time expired to force OverTime but missed a game winner at the OT horn as UCU slipped for a third straight. Lady canons (2-3) who were mourning Purity Adhiambo’s mother, felt the absence of the strong forward on both ends of the floor as Peace Proscovia (12 points, 17 rebounds) and Akiny were constantly bullied down the post. Moreen Amoding scored team high 14 points for lady canons.

Meanwhile, Warriors edged close to winning their second title with a 62-57 win over Falcons in game 5 to take a 3-2 lead in the series. Norman Blick scored team high 16 points to pace Warriors and Henry Malinga added a double-double (12 points, 11 rebounds) and Ivan Enabu added 9. Steven Omony netted game high 17 points in a losing effort and so were Peter Elungat’s 12 points and Geoffrey Omondi’s 10. Philip Ameny had an off day on line but managed 8 points and picked 12 rebounds