16 June 2014

UGANDA : Omony leads Falcons to win over Ndejje


KAMPALA-Yesterday would have been the day when teams arrive in the country for the Fiba Africa Zone V Championship.
Thereafter, the weeklong tournament would tip-off today. As captain, Stephen Omony would have been extremely proud to lead out the national men’s basketball team, the Silverbacks, on to the Lugogo MTN Arena floor.
Ordinarily, as hosts, Uganda would play in the last fixture to crown what would have been a predictably magnificent opening day. It’s all a dream.
Fiba-Africa opted to postpone the event to a date between September and February 2015 with a vague reason of other teams not being ready.
Since the calendar was released in January, Uganda has been preparing and by a fortnight ago it was all systems go, including Omony and company.
He has had to settle for league contest. The forward scored 22 points in Falcons’ 83-67 Airtel National Basketball League win over Ndejje University Angels on Friday.
For a team that finished seventh amid management strife last season, the correction is going well as the record champions have won 6 of their seven games thus far.
Omong lifted the burden off Syrus Kiviri, who had 12 points and five assists against his former side, with 11 rebounds. Stephen Mwesigye had 13, shooting 100 per cent from behind the arc. Coach Sam Obol must also be relieved to see power forward Serge Kabangu finish with 12 in what has been a tough season.
Tony Jeasle had 21 points and Geoffrey Soro contributed 12 in a tame effort by Ndejje.

15 June 2014

KENIA : Comeback wins for Eagle Wings, Lions


  • Lions Romanov O'cannor against KAA Mark Ouko in a past league match.(Photo by Shutterspeed)
It was a comeback Saturday in the national classic league as three teams fought to take home maximum points off their opponents.
Eagle Wings was the strongest of all as they trailed Sprite Storms in the first three quarters of their match at the Nyayo National Stadium gymnasium.
Storms had won 10-5, 15-12 and 11-9 to lead 36-26 at the close of the third quarter. In the fourth quarter, Wings pulled all the strings possible led by Lucy Machuma, Sylvia Koech and Salma Akinyi to win 18-7 and overturn the scoreline.
Akinyi top scored for Eagle Wings with 14 points while Sylvia Omollo and Faustina Mandu were joint leading scorers for Storms with 14 points apiece. Ulinzi Blades was awarded a 20-0 walkover win after Mennonite failed to show up.
United States International University- Africa, USIU-A, won 69-34 against Western Delights in Kakamega. USIU-A led 38-8 at the breather.
In men premier, it was a tight contest between rejuvenated Lions and USIU-A that ended 51-50 in favour of the students.
Both teams tied 24-24 at the breather after Lions won the first quarter 12-11 and USIU-A the second 13-12.
However, a physical confrontation between USIUs Christian Mulumba and Lions’ Denis Opiyo in the second quarter nearly marred the match that was evenly contested.
Match referee June Oluoch slapped both players with a technical foul each over the incident. USIU-A sought to break away in the third quarter winning 13-8 to open up a five points lead.
However, Lions proved ready for battle and pushed them hard in the fourth quarter to win 18-14. It was a much improved performance by Lions who at one point trailed by eleven points inside the fourth quarter.
Abel Nson scored 17 points for USIU-A while Moses Wanjara had 15 for Lions. In division one, Upper Hill School and World Hope had to come from behind in registering their wins. World Hope beat Little Prince 60-53 after trailing 23-24 at halftime.
Moses Abraham and Regan Brian top scored for World Hope and Little Prince respectively with 15 points each. Upper Hill, trailing 21-27 at the breather, recovered to beat Trailblazers 58-52.
Action continues on Sunday when USIU-A takes on Thunder for a chance to record the second win of the weekend. University of Nairobi's Terrorist will play Kenya Airports Authority while Mennonite and Nairobi Aviation College will clash in an early morning kickoff. The women premier has Safe Spaces playing Strathmore University while Co-operative Bank tackle Mennonite.
Saturday Results: Western Delights 34 USIU-A 69, MKU Kakamega 20 Mombasa County 0, MKU Eldonetts 57 JKUAT 70, Trailblazers 52 Upper Hill 58, Ulinzi Blades 20 Mennonite 0, Little Prince 53 World Hope 60, Parklands Baptist 60 Baraka Xtreme 48, Sprite Storms 43 Eagle Wings 44, Lions 50 USIU-A 51; Sunday Fixtures- Lakeside vs Mombasa County (Kisumu, 10am), Barclays Bank vs Baraka Xtreme (Upper Hill, 9am), Upper Hill v Zetech College (10:30am), Dankind Academy vs Umoja (12pm), ANU vs KCA-U (12pm), Co-op Bank vs Mennonite (2pm), Strathmore University vs Safe Spaces (4pm); Sprite Storms vs KCA-U (Nyayo gymnasium, 9am), Mennonite vs Nairobi Aviation College (10:30am), USIU-A vs Thunder (12pm), Terror vs KAA (2pm), Blazers vs Ulinzi (4pm).

UGANDA : Professionals show they can take Ugandan hoops places

Johnson Balwigaire (L) drives past Kenya’s Desmond Owili at the MTN Arena Lugogo recently.
Johnson Balwigaire (L) drives past Kenya’s Desmond Owili at the MTN Arena Lugogo recently. PHOTO BY I. KEZAALA 
By Robert Madoi

Posted  Sunday, June 15   2014 at  01:00
In Summary
For one, the six players got to bed in with their colleagues in the respective national teams. The chemistry will be priceless going forward.

An age-old dictum reminds us that statistics don’t bleed. In sports, though, statistics are its lifeblood. They never lie. Ever.
Having spent a princely sum to fly in professional players for the Fiba Afrobasket Zone V Championships from either side of the Atlantic, local basketball body, Fuba, was expecting a return on investment.
It might not have gotten one when the regional basketball tournament was postponed from June to September (21st to 28th, to be exact), but at least the profoundly potent performances of the professional players have given Fuba something to smile about.
Flying in half a dozen professional players hasn’t hemorrhaged cash per se. The Fabulous Six, if we may call them so, leave Uganda with badges of honour after putting in pretty useful shifts during the Heroes Day trial matches.
Your columnist knows that the odd showings over four quartets don’t offer a protraction from which to make an informed deduction, but saying that the professional players’ sojourn in Kampala was counterproductive, would be wholly wrong.
For one, the six players got to bed in with their colleagues in the respective national teams. The chemistry that has been developed will be priceless going forward.
But more than anything, the professional players showed that they can deliver on the floor. Brandon Sebirumbi, who plays professional basketball in Spain, was sizzling in the paint as the men’s national hoops team, the Silverbacks, thumped a select side (with the likes of Sudi Ulanga, Jimmy Enabu and Syrus Kiviri) 91-62.
Sebirumbi turned in a performance that was as neat as the long dreadlocks that were firmly secured behind his neck. The six foot-something centre pounded the inside en route to picking 11 rebounds (six of them offensive) and dropping 15 points. His points tally was equalled by Samuel Mukooza whose shooting from the arc was a beauty to behold. Mukooza sunk four of the seven three pointers he attempted, showing that he can help put gloss when the Silverbacks choose to spread the ball.
John Balwigaire, a student from Oklahoma State University, also delighted with his three point shooting, hitting the bull’s eye from downtown. His shooting from the charity line was surprisingly a bit rusty but he generally showed a good skill set (he has six assists). As indeed did UK-based Josh Johnson, who scored 10 points in an 18-minute display.
The women’s national basketball team, the Gazelles, beat a select side 48-42 in their trial match. Twenty-one of the 48 points the Gazelles scored were courtesy of Sharon Karungi, who plays college basketball in the US. That in itself tells the story of how important a piece Karungi can be in the Gazelles’ puzzle.
Karungi made eight of 14 attempted baskets, eclipsing ‘Miss Consistent’, Peace Proscovia. The Zone V Championships cannot start soon enough!

UGANDA : Bottom sides seek to keep up with league pace


TODAY AT YMCA
W: Stormers vs. Crane High (1.30pm)
W: Sparks vs. UCU Canons (5.30pm)
M: UCU vs. Diamonds (3.30pm)
M: C. Rhino vs. N. Marines (7.30pm)
Most often than not, focus on the Airtel National Basketball is fixed on the top sides.
But with the bottom three sides, Charging Rhino playing against Nkumba Marines and Diamonds In The Sun up against UCU Canons, the focus today will be on teams in the lower half of the table.
Diamonds In The Sun, who have won once in their five outings thus far, 54-50 over Vegetarians will have the task of trying to upstage UCU Canons in the Men’s first game.
The university side have already lost twice in six games including a surprise 59-57 loss to Charging Rhino. The are also still smarting from their 68-74 loss to Falcons.
They are however unlikely to falter today if Ivan Rumanyika and Boniface Okello continue reducing the scoring burden on Sudi Ulanga.
The pair have made 13 and 15 points respectively in that game.
Rhinos, are meanwhile, unlikely to get a better chance of collecting their second victory of the season when they play 2006 champions Nkumba Marines. Marines are winless in five games and are struggling for numbers as they have not managed to field more than seven players for each game.

14 June 2014

GAMBIA : Gambia Basketball Association League Final Tomorrow

The Gambia Basketball Association (GBA) will tomorrow Saturday 14 June 2014 stage its league finals at the Independence Stadium Basketball Court.
The Gambia Armed Forces (GAF) will take on Saints in the female final to be played at 4pm while YMCA will battle it out with Serrekunda West in the final of the same day and venue at 7pm.
Speaking at a press conference held at the American Corner, Comium Building on Wednesday, Papa Njie, President of the Gambia Basketball Association, said the Gambia Basketball Association had been dormant for a number of years but for the past two years running they were able to organise a league.
He described the league as successful, but adding that they still have some constraints. He also talked about the reason for choosing the format they used this year during the league.
They are one big family and have been able to maintain unity among all teams, he stated, while thanking the President of the Republic of The Gambia for giving them the space and environment to be able to play the game as without a safe environment, with an empowered youth they would not be playing basketball.
"In every good thing there are problems we have encountered and continue to encounter," he noted, saying he thinks they are the association that has played their national league up to the last weekend without a sponsor.
He therefore appealed to everyone that they still need sponsors to come and help them. "This is extended to the President for him to help us to be able to at least have some cash prizes at the end of the night so that teams will go back home with trophies and cash prizes," he added.
If people want to see basketball revived let them come and watch the games, he also said, adding that they will have artists performing during the break to entertain spectators.
All their medals are sponsored by Sky High Group, he went on, saying during the regular season LG were able to donate to them some money but they used it to pay the referees transportation and some of the media people that went and came.
"It is customary in our association that not only do we give to the winners but all other teams that participate in the league," he highlighted, while appealing for support.
FIVA has invited them to go for the qualifying rounds for the All Africa Games and Afro-Basketball 2015, the GBA President further said, adding that they have 5 teams in their pool and the teams will be divided into 2 and once they get the confirmed number of teams in the pool they will be engaging Government and sponsors to help them at least expose the kids to go and taste international game.
They can only move forward if they have an indoor basketball court, he re-echoed, saying "unfortunately the rains are here and kids would be out during the summer and this is when we need to tap the kids to be able to get them to the level where we want them to get to".
"I am pleading with the Government, His Excellency President Jammeh and to any sponsor, it is about high time that basketball association do have an indoor basketball court," he concluded.
Abdoulie Jallow, Secretary General, Gambia Basketball Association, began by congratulating YMCA and Serrekunda West male teams and Saints and the Gambia Armed Forces female teams who are to play this year's finals.
The first game will be between GAF against Saints while SK West and YMCA will play the second final, he added, pointing out that both finals are a repeat of last year and as such they want to see revenge but in a fair and very competitive way.
Last year they played a league and a knockout but unfortunately this year they started the league very late and therefore decided to change the format to where you play a league that goes to a play off, he stated, describing it as more of an American type.
When the league ended YMCA were at the top and the seedlings were done, Mr Jallow further said, adding that after that they gave everybody a chance to lose twice games to be out of the play offs.
If anybody goes to the final undefeated and lose the first game of the final there would be a replay of the final, he stated, saying in the event YMCA who are undefeated, lose in the final there will be a replay a week later because they think it is unfair that somebody who has a second chance to come to the final and win the final once and just go home with the trophy.
If YMCA wins the final it's the end of the season, he stated, saying that for the females an outright winner goes home with the trophy.
They are going to sell basketball this year, he said, calling on teams set to play the finals to help them sell basketball by bringing very good ambiance during the final.
They want the best for their winners and do not want to put price tag on the winners' prizes until they finalise everything, he also said, while assuring finalists they have people coming in and as such this year's prizes will be better than that of last year.

13 June 2014

UGANDA : Ndejje in Falcons path

BASKETBALL: Ndejje in Falcons path

Falcons coach Gad Eteu has seen his side enjoy a rich vein of form.
newvision
By Charles Mutebi
National Basketball League
Women
UCU 106 Crane High
Men
Falcons 71 KIU 60
Friday, YMCA
Sparks v A1
Falcons v Ndejje
THE Falcons had a terrible regular season last year but wound up reaching Game 7 of the National Basketball League (NBL) finals.
This season Sam Obol’s team seem determined to make an impression throughout the campaign. Beware Ndejje Angels.
Walker Obedi’s team are next in line of the Falcons’ firing squad, which cooled off the KIU Titans 71-60 Wednesday night for their fifth win in six NBL games this season.
Ndejje face the Falcons today at the YMCA although the Angels were originally scheduled to play City Oil. The NBL champions are in Rwanda for an invitational tournament and successfully asked for a postponement.
The Angels have had a mixed start to the season, following up an impressive win over the Warriors with a shock 49-41 reverse to the Sharing Youth. Ndejje will need a spectacular display to defeat the Falcons, who sent KIU to their third straight loss.  
Falcons’ Stephen Mwesigye snatched 11 points and 20 rebounds against the Titans while Syrus Kiviri, Stephen Omony and Herbert Arkitah added a game-high 22, 16 and 10 points respectively.
KIU had a team-high 20 points from Michael Makiadi but sorely missed star point guard Chris Omanye, who was left out of the side for disciplinary reasons.
Meanwhile, Mavita Ali will lead A1 Challenge against the Makerere Sparks in the women’s NBL fixture, which openings today’s programme.

UGANDA : City Oilers prepare for Zone V in Kigali

City Oilers prepare for Zone V in Kigali
Soro (4) has been shooting blanks but his blocking skills must come to the fore against Falcons tonight. photo by ISMAIL KEZAALA 
By  ISMAIL D. KIGONGO

Posted  Friday, June 13  2014 at  09:24
In Summary
Falcons play for second time in three days as Oilers- Ndejje fixture is called off while Stormers also head sout.
KAMPALA
Call it arrogant or derogatory, City Oilers have set themselves an ambitious target of winning the Fiba Africa Zone V Club Championship at the first time of asking.
Later this year, in Kenya, that goal will be examined as the region’s best teams and the Airtel National Basketball League champions Oilers take a first-hand look at some of the challenges ahead this weekend.
They travelled to Kigali, Rwanda yesterday to feature in the annual Gisenyi Memorial where teams from Rwanda and Burundi are part of the furniture.
“I think playing in Rwanda is in line with our target this year,” team manager Silver Rugambwa said. His compatriot is even more ambitious. “We should be able to win Zone V,” club boss Mohammed Santur added.
While they haven’t been imposing yet in this year’s league, guard Ben Komakech and guard/forward Geoff Omondi were signed to achieve regional acclaim not national honours.
Women’s side Magic Stormers are also in Rwanda for their first ever tournament outside Uganda’s borders.
Their journey south has also affected the fixtures as they were scheduled to face Ndejje University Angels at YMCA court. Falcons will take their place, a second game in 48 hours.
The six-time champions warmed up for this with a gritty 71-60 victory over KIU Titans. Syrus Kiviri followed his 34 in the win over UCU Canons last week with 22 and five rebounds.
Stephen Omony was red-hot with his jump-shot while scoring 16 but it’s Stephen Mwesigye’s 11 and 20 rebounds which was all the more staggering.
They will face more of the same against an Ndejje side currently riding on the back of Jonah Otim as the team strategy has relegated former regular season MVP Geoffrey Soro to a footnote in the jigsaw.
They have lost games with Soro barely touching the ball, the worst of all was last Sunday’s 49-51 defeat against Sharing Youth.

RWANDA : Gisembe memorial tourney kicks off

ONE WEEK after the conclusion of the local edition, the regional Gisembe memorial starts today and will run for the next three days at different courts within the City of Kigali.
According to the tentative schedule, the opening match starts this afternoon at Amahoro indoor stadium at 4pm.
The draws were supposed to take place last evening in presence of invited participants from Uganda, Burundi and DR Congo, that had not yet arrived, according to Basketball association Secretary General Richard Mutabazi.
Rwanda’s two-time reigning champions Espoir, who claimed the local edition on Sunday after beating CSK 81-79, will be among the fovourites.
 “We are ready for the battle. Winning the local tournament boosted our confidence that we can also win the regional edition,” Espoir coach Jean Bahufite told Times Sport on Thursday.
Defending champions Urunani will not participate in this year’s edition following injuries within the team.  The three-day competition will be contested by eleven teams, five Rwandan (three men’s and two women’s) and six invited teams (three men’s and three women’s) respectively.
Contact email: editorial[at]newtims.co.rw

12 June 2014

GAMBIA : Basketball Association Seeks Support Ahead of League Finals

The Gambia Basketball Association has called for more support in order to help the association fulfill its commitments. The association made the plea yesterday through its president at a press conference ahead of this weekend's domestic league finals in both men and women categories.
Muhammadou Papa Njie, who was speaking at Wednesday's briefing along the Kairaba Avenue, urged the general public and fans of the teams that are participating in the finals to come out in their numbers and cheer to their respective teams.
The first game on the menu will be the meeting between Saint Augustine's against Gambia Armed Forces in the women category that will be preceded by the men's final involving Young Men's Christian Association and Serekunda West. The games in both categories are a repeat of last year's finals and action will take place at the Independence Stadium in Bakau.
Speaking further, Njie called on the government, individuals and business people to come to their aid in supporting basketball in the Gambia, noting that the association definitely needs assistance if they are to fulfill their commitments as well as to lift the status of the game to a higher level. The basketball boss, who hailed the participating teams in the finals for their wonderful performances and sportsmanship throughout the course of the competitions, disclosed that aside from action on the court, there will be live performances by popular Gambian artists and cheerleaders to entertain the crowd during the games.
Reflecting on the rules and regulations of this year finals, Abdoulie Jallow, the secretary general of the GBA congratulated the four teams that made it to the finals. Jallow who reminded that last year's competition was held in a league and knockout format noted that this year the association decided to change the format to something more exciting and in line with the National Basketball Association, the governing body of the sport in the United States of America. He explained further the rationale behind this and how to go-by it which he noted all the participating teams agreed to before the beginning of the competitions. Jallow also encouraged the supporters of all the four teams to create a great ambience during the matches.
Coaches and captains of all four teams together with the first vice president of the association all made similar sentiments.

RWANDA : Urunani pull out of Gisembe memorial tourney

DEFENDING CHAMPIONS Urunani of Burundi have pulled out of this year’s Gisembe memorial international tournament slated for this weekend in Kigali.
Urunani won last year’s title after a narrow 66-65 win over tournament organisers Espoir.  Espoir claimed this year’s local edition after beating rivals CSK in the final 81-79 on Sunday.
According to Rwanda Basketball Federation technical director, Didier Shema Maboko, the Burundians bowed out because their key players are down with injuries, while others are students and currently doing exams.
The 3-day tournament will be contested by eleven teams, six in men’s and five in women’s  category respectively.
In the men’s category, Rwanda will be represented by Espoir, Cercle Sportif de Kigali and KBC (men), while Rwanda Allied Peace for Progress (RAPP) and Ubumwe will represent in the women category.
Regional teams to grace the competition include; Muzinga (men) and Belco Stars (women) both from Burundi, City Oilers (men) and Magic Stormers (women) of Uganda and PGB Goma (men and women) of DR Congo.

11 June 2014

ANGOLA : Women Basketball - 1º De Agosto Wins Cup

Luanda — 1º de Agosto's senior women team of basketball won the Angola Cup on Tuesday in Luanda , after defeating Interclub by 62-35 in the final.
By the halftime of the game played in the main hall of the Cidadela sports pavilion, 1º de Agosto was leading the score by 20-17.
In the first game of the final, 1º de Agosto won by 53-39, while Interclube won by 66-64, thus forcing the final re-encounter.
This season, under coach Jaime Covilhão, 1º de Agosto won the provincial and national championships

UGANDA : Falcons’ Kiviri gets support for Titanic test

KAMPALA
One moment, Syrus Kiviri has the ability to play himself into the national team – Silverbacks – debate. He is then selected.
The next, the guard labours so much that he is the easiest scapegoat and an easy pick for failing to make the cut.
Once the decision of dropping him is close to being made, a second is needed.
The ‘real’ Kiviri shows up again. That has been the case for him in recent weeks.
Since moving to Falcons from UCU Canons, he has proved to be the perfect foil for veteran Stephen Omony.
The two have held the six-time champions afloat.
But then, last week Kiviri was selected to play in a practice game for Silverbacks against Kenya.
With the Fiba Africa Zone V Championships then only a fortnight away, he seemed to throw away as a below par performance coinciding with Jonah Otim’s brilliance in an 86-75 win.
On the brink
Otim and Kiviri are both guards on the fringes of selection.
Just when you could turn a blind eye, Kiviri responded last Friday.
He scored 34 points as Falcons beat UCU 74-68 in the Airtel National Basketball League.
On Wednesday night, he wasn’t just okay as he featured in a Select Side that played the Silverbacks.
While the game, whose buildup was narrowed around American-based 6ft 11in Brandon Ssebirumbi’s first chance to show what he can do here, Kiviri restored some respect.
Silverbacks won the tie 91-62 as Sweden-based Samuel Mukooza also played here for the first time, joining John Baligwire (US) and Josh Johnson (UK), who came earlier.
All had been invited to feature in the Zone V tournament, earlier scheduled for June 15-21 before it was postponed.
For Kiviri, that is ample to push his case again, starting with tonight’s game against KIU Titans. Omony will play after missing the last game.

10 June 2014

NIGERIA : Basketball League - Teams for Final Eight Play-Offs Emerge

The eight teams for the 2013/2014 National Basketball Final Play-offs emerged at the end of the Week 13 matches in the Atlantic and Savannah Conferences of the ongoing DStv Basketball League.
The Nigeria Basketball Federations, NBBF, will use the final eight play-offs to determine the winner of the season.
In the Atlantic Conference, Lagos Islanders, Union Bank of Lagos, Dodan Warriors of Lagos and the Oluyole Warriors of Ibadan qualified for the play-off in spite of one game to end the league.
The four teams are certain to compete in the final playoffs due to their number of wins recorded in the ongoing regular season.
Lagos Islanders are currently topping the table with nine wins and four losses that earned them 22 points.
The Islanders confirmed their berth in the final eight play-off after beating Union Bank 67-61 in their last match.
They have a chance of winning the Atlantic Conference title if they win their next and final regular season match against the Nigeria Customs Service on June 13.
Dodan Warriors is in second position, while Union Bank is in the third. Both teams recorded 22 points from nine wins and four loses also.
Oluyole Warriors which is in the fourth position have won their last match played in Ibadan against Customs 95-73.
Meanwhile, Islanders Coach, Lateef Erinfolami, has expressed confidence in his team's readiness for the final eight play-offs.
"We are heading to the national final eight with high spirit in the camp having done well in the regular season.
"We are also looking forward to picking our last win against Customs.
"It is important we finish top of the conference, not only for the title but for a good seeding at the play-offs.

"Seeding us against opponents that are not too tough will help us at the play-offs," Erinfolami said.
Coach Chris Nomigo of Dodan Warriors said that the most important thing now for his team was to make the final eight.
"We are happy we are in the final eight, the next step for us is to prepare well, correcting our mistakes and strategise on our game plans," Mr. Nomigo said.
Coach Johnson Ayinla of Union Bank said that the final eight was the club's target form the beginning of the season.
"This is where the biggest teams in the two conferences play, we are ready and very optimistic of our chances," Ayinla said
In the Savannah Conference, defending champions Kano Pillars, who are perhaps the best team in the two conferences combined, won 12 games out of the 13 matches played.
Kano Pillars' only loss in the regular season so far was to their conference rivals Mark Mentors of Abuja in Week 11 encounter played in Abuja in May 23.
In second position is Mark Mentors with 11 wins from 13 games played, while Gombe Bulls look good for the play-offs with 10 wins from 13 matches earning 23 points.
The fourth team from the Savannah Conference going for the national play-offs is Plateau Peaks of Jos who finished strong with six wins and seven losses, earning 19 points.
The final eight play-offs are expected to hold in Lagos in July.

SEYCHELLES : National leagues - Hawks, Baya prevail in very tight games

*Bullets struggle past Wolf

Unbeaten Baya have extended their winning streak to seven games ahead of their meeting with defending champions PLS Hawks who edged Premium Cobras on Sunday.

Baya 65 … RC Dynamics 61

If Baya had come into the game on Sunday against RC Dynamics expecting it to be a formality, they were mistaken. Both teams started the first quarter strongly and the score remained close, but Baya led 16-12.
The second quarter was played on the same tempo as the first and Timmy Adam performed a one-handed dunk which delighted the Baya supporters. Baya were able to pull a little further away from Dynamics and the score at halftime was 33-22.
In the third quarter, the scoring was again very close but when RC Dynamics lost captain Duncan Albert with five fouls, Baya took control and led 52-40 with 30 minutes played.
In the fourth and final quarter, Baya loosened their grip on the match allowing Dynamics, who lost two more players – Karim César and Mamadou Diallo – with five individual fouls, to close the gap but they fell short as they lost 61-65
This was Baya’s seventh consecutive win to lead the table with a maximum 14 points ahead of this coming Sunday’s fixtures with defending champions PLS Hawks (June 15) before taking on MBU Rockers in their last first-round match on Saturday June 21.
RC Dynamics’ Ronny Julius was the game’s top scorer with 19 points.

PLS Hawks 66 ... Premium Cobras 64

One of the weekend’s highly anticipated match-ups was the encounter between PLS Hawks and Premium Cobras. The supporters were expecting a high intensity game, possibly packed with controversy and this is exactly what they were treated to.
The Hawks had welcomed back Wellington ‘Tontonn’ Adeline who had been away for a while, while France-based professional Abdel Sylla had brought his support for his brother Amadou Sylla and the Cobras.
In the first quarter both teams started strongly and the game was played at a high tempo. The Hawks had a four-point lead –15-11 – at the end of the first 10 minutes of play.
In the second quarter, Hawks’ coach Clifford Joubert sent Adeline into the fray and he looked a little bit rusty, but it was to be expected after such a long time away from the sport. The Cobras upped their game and they started to frustrate the Hawks players. The score was tied at 26-26 at half-time.
In the third 10-minute spell, the two teams kept exchanging baskets and they both did not want to give in as the scoreboard read 45-45 at the end of 30 minutes.
The final quarter was decisive and the tension was high while the excitement level hit the roof. It was all or nothing and neither team were willing to hand the game over to the other.
With 44.3 seconds left in the game, the Cobras lost Malagasy playmaker Hery Rakotoniaina and even though the Hawks were ahead, they weren’t ready to throw in the towel just yet.
Coach Tony Juliette called in a few strategic time-outs but the Hawks managed to barely hang in there, and the game ended on a 66-64 score in favour of the Hawks.
Immediately after the final buzzer, the Cobras’ players circled the referees because they felt that teammate Dan Côme, who had been tasked with firing the possible game-winning 3-pointer, should have been given a foul. The referees stood by their decision and it proved to be an important win for PLS Hawks.

Meanwhile, in a second division game, Cascade Bullets beat Wolf 53-51.

Wolf’s Andre Athanase was the top scorer of the game with 18 points.

K. B.

RWANDA : Espoir, RAPP lift Gisembe memorial title

Final
Espoir 81-79 CSK
Third place play-off
KBC 62-61 UR-Huye
Women
Ubumwe 43-48 RAPP (Saturday)
RAPP 53-50 Ubumwe (Sunday)
REIGNING CHAMPIONS Espoir and RAPP clinched men and women honours in this year’s Gisembe basketball memorial tournament which climaxed on Sunday.
Espoir won the title after snatching a narrow 81-79 victory over archrivals Cercle Sportif de Kigali (CSK) in the final while Rwanda Allied Peace for Progress (RAPP) claimed the tournament after beating defending champions Ubumwe in two matches 48-43, 53-50 on Saturday and Sunday respectively.
Espoir’s Lionel Hakizimana and Pascal Karekezi were on high scoring 15 points each while Olivier Shyaka and Bienvenu Ngandu added 14 points apiece. Team captain Aristide Mugabe scored 10 points.
“We are not done yet until we win the international edition too. Thanks to my team for the title,” Espoir head coach Jean Bahufite said yesterday.
Kigali basketball club (KBC) who beat CSK 78-70 in the group stages on Saturday finished third in the tournament after narrowly beating UR- Huye campus 62-61 in the third place play-off.
The international basketball memorial tournament edition set for the upcoming weekend in Kigali where Espoir, CSK and KBC will face regional participants from Kenya, Uganda, Burundi and DR Congo for the title while Ubumwe and RAPP will tussle it out in the women category.
Regional teams expected to grace the tournament include; 2013 Men’s title winners Urunani and Muzinga (Men) and Belco stars of Burundi, Uganda’s Warriors, City Oil (men) and Magic stormers (Women), DR Congo’s PGB (men and women), Ulinzi (men) and Equity Bank (Women) from Kenya

07 June 2014

UGANDA : FIBA Africa cancels Zone V qualifiers

FIBA Africa cancels Zone V qualifiers


FUBA president Ambrose Tashobya. The federation flew in foreign based players for the tournament which has now been called off.
newvision
By Charles Mutebi
National Basketball League results
Women: A1 49 Nkumba 35
Men: Sharing 49 Ndejje 41
UCU 69 Warriors 66
FIBA Africa emerged as an organization whose executives lack order and transparency after a last ditch decision to cancel the Afrobasket Zone V Qualifiers scheduled for June 16-22 in Kampala.
The executive bowed to the illogical request led by the highly influential Egyptian basketball federation to postpone the tournament by at least three months.
FIBA consequently informed Uganda in a smug communication that if they were still interested in hosting the tournament, they could only do it between September and February.
Egypt deceitfully claimed they had not received the annual FIBA calendar that originally scheduled the Afrobasket Zone V Qualifiers between 16-22 June.
Egyptians in clinic 
The same Egypt Federation that was represented at a referees’ clinic held here in April and clearly indicated on the calendar.
Egypt had initially claimed they were not ready for the event, along with other Zone V countries like Rwanda and Kenya.
But they probably realized that would be a worse excuse to put forward.
Anyway, the event that was highly anticipated by the domestic body FUBA, who had already flown in six foreign based players and were preparing to enter them into a two-week residential camp, is off until further notice.
FUBA president Ambrose Tashobya and his national team committee chaired by Mohammed Santur are inevitably deflated. All the money and time they have spent will not be reimbursed by the chaotic FIBA Africa executive.
But what is even more worrisome is FUBA may not be able to have all its foreignbased players back when the tournament takes place.
Difficult time
The basketball season in the western hemisphere where many hail from starts September and runs until March.
For players like Sharon Karungi, who is on a scholarship at an American university, it is extremely difficult to break off during the season

06 June 2014

UGANDA : Falcons – Canons preview | NBL

UCU's Sudi Ulanga going for a lay up during last year's playoff game against Falcons Fixtures: UCU Canons Vs Falcons 8:30pm
Magic Stormers Vs UCU Lady Canons 6:30pm
Falcons and UCU Canons produced the most offensive heavy game of last season. The first leg match up between Falcons and Canons produced 192 points, 101-91 it ended in favour of the Canons. The next four games were as competitive and squarely shared as Falcons advanced through the best of 3 semi finals with UCU scoring at-least 76 points in each of the three post season match-ups.
The teams face off this evening at YMCA for another thriller (hopefully) with Syrus Kiviiri (then UCU) turning out for Falcons alongside Steven Omony who piled up game high 27 points in the first match up.
The Canons (4-1) are coming off 3 straight wins including a pair of thrillers against KIU and Warriors while Falcons (3-1) are coming into the game off a garbage time loss to Tiger Head Power last Sunday that followed three straight wins against lowly sides Vegetarian, Sharing Youths and Charging Rhinos.
While Falcons may have an edge in terms of personnel, it is a fortunate habit for the Canons to turn in their A-game each time they are involved in a ‘big’ game and without doubt they are going to be as competitive a team should be in a big game. It is not just a chance that tonight’s is going to be tight but near certainty.
The match-up to watch:
Ulanga Vs Kiviiri The battle of the perimeter starts and ends right here. It is only natural to think that they will be each others’ face just to try and stop that 3-ball but obviously some 3s will fall. They make each other feel their defensive presence just to stop that occasional drive but some drives will be too strong to stop.
In the women’s division, Magic Stormers will be up against UCU Lady Canons in the second of the three regular season match ups. Strormers’ only loss of the season so far came against Lady Canons. At this point there is only one way to see how game 2 will turn out – the Lady Canons will make it 2-0 against Stormers.

NIGERIA : Islanders Seek Vengeance Against Union Bank

Actions resume today in the Atlantic Conference Week 13 matches of the ongoing DStv Basketball League with Lagos Islanders seeking vengeance against city rivals and table-toppers, Union Bank.
Islanders most capped player and team's Assistant Coach, Seyi Ayodeji, told NAN that they were prepared to beat Union Bank in the encounter.
"We are ready to defeat Union Bank; we know their capabilities and we accept that they are a great team but nevertheless, we are prepared to beat them.
"We are determined to do this because it will determine our chances of emerging the Atlantic Conference champions. "We have had a great season, and we want to wrap it up with the conference title and get ourselves motivated for the national final eight playoffs coming after," Ayodeji said.
Islanders had led the conference log for nine weeks before losing two straight games in their Weeks 10 and 11 matches and, thereafter, submitted the conference leadership to Union Bank.
Islanders Captain, Seun Akinwunmi, said that they would surprise their opponents because they were still basking in the euphoria of the 70-49 thrashing of the Kwara Falcons in their last match.
"The match against Kwara Falcons helped us to get our momentum back; we beat them with 21 points, now the spirit in the Islanders camp is high.
"We are now in good state of mind having got over the previous losses we suffered in the hands of Ibadan-based Oluyole Warriors and the Dodan Warriors of Lagos. "However, it is tough for me that I cannot be with them, though I am recuperating from the injury I had earlier in the season, but I have confidence in my team."
Meanwhile, Union Bank's guard, Obum Onyia, believes that his team would not be intimidated by their traditional rivals, adding that they had more fire power to beat the Islanders.
"We are better than them; I agree they are a good team but we have more resources compared to our opponents. "We have won seven straight games, which did not come easy; we are getting better everyday, and we will keep that record till we win the conference title.
"With have just two games to go, we have victories on our minds, and nothing less," Onyia said. Another match in the conference that will live up to its billing is that between the Police Batons and Dodan Warriors both of Lagos. It will be an interesting encounter as both clubs will struggle to come out of the relegation zone.
the Batons are in the same position last season, where they had a remarkable victory over Dodan Warriors to escape relegation. Baton's Coach, Dominic Dike, said a victory over the Warriors was possible, adding that the team had prepared well for the challenge. "We lost to Warriors with just five points in the first leg; we had it in our hands but lost concentration at the end of the match.
"It was a regrettable loss; however, we hope not to make the same mistakes again when we face them on Friday," Dominic said. The DStv matches begin by 2 p.m. and are played at the Indoor Sports Hall of the National Stadium, Lagos.
NAN

RWANDA : Gisembe memorial hoops tourney starts

photo
Burundian side, Urunani are defending champions of the men’s title having beaten tournament organizers, Espoir in last year’s final. File.
Today (Men)
Espoir vs 30-Plus 6pm (Kimisagara)
CSK vs UGB 6pm (CSK)
IPRC vs APR 8pm (Kimisagara)
Saturday 
Men
Espoir vs KBC 10am 10am (Kacyiru)
CSK vs UR-CoE 10am (KIST)
APR vs UR-Huye 12pm (Kacyiru)
KBC vs 30-Plus 4pm (Kacyiru)
UR-CoE vs UGB 4pm (KIST)
UR-Huye vs IPRC 5pm (Kimisagara)
Women
Ubumwe vs RAPP 12pm (KIST)
Sunday
RAPP vs Ubumwe 12pm (KIST)
THIS YEAR’S Gisembe memorial basketball tournament kicks-off today at different courts in Kigali.
The tournament will include two competitions; one for only local teams and the other for local and regional clubs in both men and women categories.
The local competition takes place this weekend, while the ‘international’ will be held on the weekend of June 13-15.
The annual tournament is organised by league side Espoir in conjunction with the Rwanda Basketball Federation in honor of victims of the 1994 Genocide against Tutsi.
The tournament is named after former national team and Espoir star player, Emmanuel Ntarugera aka Gisembe who also died in the Genocide.
The local tournament will see all league teams (men and women) competing, while the international will comprise the best three teams from the local tournament in each category plus guest teams from Kenya, Uganda, Burundi and DR Congo.
Regional teams that have confirmed participation include; the men’s title holders, Urunani and Muzinga, Belco Stars (all Burundi), Uganda’s Warriors, City Oil (men) and Magic Stormers (women).
Others are; DR Congo’s PGB (men and women), Ulinzi (men) and Equity Bank (women) from Kenya.
Rwanda’s Ubumwe basketball club is the defending champions in the women’s category.

04 June 2014

NIGERIA : Bakare Bows Out As NBBF Technical Director

Long serving technical director of the Nigeria Basketball Federation, Ayo Bakare has voluntarily relinquished his position and subsequently withdrawn his active participation in matters relating to the administration of the sport in the country.
In a crowded press conference in Lagos yesterday, the coach who took Nigeria to the London Olympics said, "after due consideration of my personal commitments at this time, I have decided to withdraw my role as the technical director of the NBBF."
Meanwhile, the former Nigeria Basketball team national coach re said a bright future awaits basketball in Nigeria going by the performance of kid players in the just concluded Youth Alive Community Basketball competition.
Bakare, a former D'Tigers Basketball boss spoke at the closing ceremony of the Honeywell-sponsored competition which took place at the Rowe Park, Yaba, Lagos, at the weekend.
Del Basketball team clinched the first position in the U-16 Boys category, while Zion and Deepbond teams maintained the second and third position respectively.
Describing the competition as a huge success, Bakare said the game will improve tremendously if government gives it proper attention.
He, however, lauded the initiative of Honeywell for keeping faith in the sponsorship of the competition aimed at identifying and building talents.
He was highly impressed at the performance of the kids, saying it gives hope that there is a brighter future for basketball in Nigeria.
"Also, Honeywell is doing a great job in keeping faith to sponsor this basketball competition where others have failed. It is a welcome development that should be sustained for the growth of the game in Nigeria", he said.
Responding, Managing Director, Honeywell Flour Mills Plc, Mr. Lanre Jaiyeola, said "in efforts to make the society feel our impacts, we have made basketball a choice, not just to discover talents, but also to build talents.
Beyond that, it is also to remove the youths from the streets, from social vices and make them have a direction to realize a dream by building a career"

KENYA : Champs Co-op bank pass USIU-A test


Champions Co-operative Bank built on a 21-15 halftime lead to beat United States International University- Africa, USIU-A, 58-39 in a league match played on Monday at the Nyayo National Stadium gymnasium.
The match was among four originally slated for Sunday but pushed to Monday owing to Madaraka Day celebrations.
The game was not high scoring in first half, USIU-A failing to reach the double digits in the two opening quarters.
USIU missed the services of veteran Abel Nson who sat out while Co-Op played without Tony Abondo and Frank Ogolla who were with the national select team in Uganda. Kenya lost to Uganda 75-86 in overtime.
The bankers won both opening quarters 10-6 and 11-9 respectively. USIU-A came back strong and managed to tie the game at 27-27 inside the third quarter.
Their intended comeback seemed well on course as the students narrowly won the third quarter 17-16 but still trailed 32-37. Co-Op eventually broke away in the fourth quarter convincingly winning 21-7 to remain unbeaten.
Titus Musembi scored 11 points while James Mwangi added 10 and grabbed eight rebounds. Joseph Ondinyo had ten rebounds for the bankers.
USIU-A’s top scorer was Daniel Omondi with 10 points.
Equity stop Nakuru 
Equity Bank registered the second successive win of the weekend beating Nakuru Club 80-60. Equity led 39-31 at the breather having won the second quarter 23-15 while the first ended on a 16-all stalemate.
The bankers ran riot in the third quarter with a 27-17 win as the fourth quarter tied at 12-12. Ian Wachie top scored for Equity with 12 points while Enock Ogecha and Vincent Onsongo added 11 apiece. Nakuru’s leading scorer was Michael Akun with a game high 25 points.
In Mombasa, Kenya Ports Authority beat Nairobi Aviation College 80-47.
In women premier, USIU-A had the better of Co-op Bank winning their tie 65-44. Leading 30-20 at the halftime break, USIU-A proved unstoppable and condemned the bankers to their second loss of the season. They had earlier lost away to KPA 46-63 in April while the students remain unbeaten.
The first and second quarters were won by USIU-A 16-7 and 14-13 before extending their lead with a 17-9 victory in the third quarter. The bankers cashed in the fourth 18-15 but it was late to tilt the scoreline in their favour. Zipporah Odhiambo scored 15 points for USIU-A with Hilda Indasi adding 11.
For the bankers, Lynet Atieno and Lynet Juma top scored with 13 and 10 points respectively. World Hope was the biggest winner in division one winning two matches on the road.
They beat Lakeside 55-48 on Saturday and MKU Eldoret 65-60 on Sunday. Other winners were Zetech College who beat Little Prince 66-52, KCA-U beat MKU Kakamega 56-54 and Upper Hill was 44-38 winner over Baraka X-treme.
Weekend Results: KPA 80 Nairobi Aviation College 47, Thunder 67 Strathmore University 79, Lions 71 KU Pirates 65, Equity Bank 60 UoN Terrorists 46, KAA 71 Mennonite 55, KCA-U 45 Western Delights 35, Co-Op Bank 44 USIU-A Flames 65, Equity Bank 80 Nakuru Club 60, USIU-A Tigers 39 Co-Op Bank 58, Parklands Baptist 48 Lakeside 64, ANU 61 MKU Kakamega 67, World Hope 65 MKU Eldoret 60, Zetech College 66 Little Prince 52, KCA-U 56 MKU Kakamega 54, World Hope 55 Lakeside 48, Trailblazers 80 MKU Eldoret 49, Upper Hill 44 Baraka X-treme 38.

03 June 2014

KENYA : Western Delight Stop Mennonites At 'Upper'

WESTERN Delight nipped Mennonites 42-3 in a women's premier league clash at Upper Hill School.
The Kakamega-based girls who had lost 45-35 to Kenya College of Accountancy University (KCA) trailed 25-19 at the break and took the last two quarters 23-14. Celia Okumu managed 14 points while Hilavi Ayodi scored 11 for the visitors. Scovia Mola sunk eight for the losers.
In the men lower division matches, World Hope had a super weekend, bagging maximum points from four matches as the hit Mount Kenya University (MKU) Eldoret. Africa Nazarene University (ANU) fell 61-67 to MKU Kakamega while Lakeside atoned for their Saturday loss with a convincing 64-48 thumping of Parklands Baptist. Pac University lost 55-56 to Woodley Knights and 55-7 to MKU in the Nairobi Basketball Association (NBA) league match at Railways Club.
MKU Nairobi hit All Stars 47-46 and Peter Kimathi scored two foul shots as Old Pirates dimmed Multi Media University (MMU) 41-40. Mary Chepkoi hit a last gasp shot as Jomo Kenyatta Univerisity of Agriculture and Technology (Jkuat) pipped ANU 38-37.
Meanwhile, KPA beat visiting Nairobi Aviation 80-47 in a Kenya Basketball Federation league at their Makande Gymnasium. The port city won all the four quarters-- 19-08, 18-11, 25-17 and 25-17. Samuel Ocholla top-scored with 13 points with Martin Kitonga posting 12 points. Aviation's Job Byron and Franklin Delano played a key role for the losers posting 12 and 10 points respectively despite falling short.

RWANDA : APR, Espoir register wins as league title race rages on


photo
Lionnel Hakizimana scored a combined 42 points in two games at the weekend as Espoir maintained their unbeaten run. File
Sunday: (Men)
Gisenyi 72-66 UGB
30-Plus 54-81 Espoir
UR- Huye 59-70 APR
Women
UR-CoE 14-101 APR
UR-Huye 29-86 Ubumwe
Archrivals, Espoir and APR picked up wins in the basketball league against 30-Plus and UR-Huye respectively on Sunday as the race for regular season league title rages on.
Two-time reigning champions Espoir beat 30-Plus 81-54 at Amahoro indoor stadium, while three-time Fiba/Africa zone V champions APR won 70-59 over University of Rwanda College of Arts and Social Sciences (UR-Huye).
Espoir’s forward Lionnel Hakizimana scored the game high 18 points a day after top scoring with 24 points in the 90-52 win against IPRC-Kicukiro.
Other big contributors to Espoir’s win on Sunday were, Bienvenu Ngandu with 17 points and upcoming youngster Jean Philippe Kubanatubane, who chipped in with 14.
“Winning both matches against IPRC and 30-Plus is what mattered most to us and we have managed to do that. It keeps our target of retaining the title on track,” noted Espoir’s Jean Bahufite.
Espoir lead the Men’s table with 30 points from 15 matches, one ahead of second-placed APR, who have played two games more.

UGANDA : Power win, Warriors aim to avoid third straight loss

KAMPALA
The two most supported teams in local basketball – Tiger Head Power and Warriors – have had contrasting starts to the Airtel National Basketball League.
Power’s narrow 82-81 loss to champions City Oilers early last month is fading with every victory as they look to match the hype of being title contenders.
Add Sunday’s 75-69 win over Falcons, losing finalists in the past two seasons, and you know Power are doing just fine.
Warriors are living dangerously. Defeat today, against UCU Canons at YMCA court, would be a third in a row.
That would be catastrophic even if the two-time champions are from pressing the panic button. It would be ill-advised for UCU to take them for granted.
Improvement
“Those (Warriors’) stats don’t count,” UCU coach Nicholas Natuhereza said. He is perhaps aware of their only loss this season, to Charging Rhino, was totally unsighted.
They would want centre Ivan Rumanyika to continue playing as good he has recently. He scored 17 points and 13 rebounds in the 73-71 overtime victory over KIU Titans.
Joseph Chuma is also expected to continue improving as his jump-shooting has become an out-of-jail card for the team.
Warriors’ coach Gad Eteu remains adamant it’s too early to sound the emergency bells. They must continue to feed off the experience of Ronnie Kasewu, Henry Malinga and Jude Ochen.
Meanwhile, Norman Blick sunk three 3-pointers in the fourth quarter for 20 points to propel Power to a deserved victory against an impressive Falcons on Sunday night.
Syrus Kiviri scored a futile 17 before fouling out but Falcons will know the margin was bigger than it should have been even if it’s scanty consolation.
TODAY AT YMCA
MEN:
Warriors vs UCU (7.30pm)
Ndejje vs Sharing (3.30pm)
WOMEN:
A1 vs Nkumba (5.30pm)

02 June 2014

UGANDA : Blick’s fourth quarter heroics sink Falcons

Power's forward Paul Mwaka (R) guarding Falcons' Steven Omony during last season's show down Photo Credits: Basketball256 Power's forward Paul Mwaka (R) guarding Falcons' Steven Omony during last season's show down
Krishna Falcons 69-75 Tiger Head Power
Nkumba Marines 48-72 Vegetarian
KCCA Leopards 106-9 Crane High Ladies
UCU Lady Canons 56-42 Magic Stormers
There are 11 championships between Tiger Head Power and Krishna Falcons. Each time they face off, there are players that show up and show out because of the magnitude of the games. It is always far from straightforward who will emerge victorious.
It was until deep in the fourth quarter that all seemed nothing but done when Norman Blick showed up and showed out for Power from distance. The forward scored game high 20 points off the bench, knocking down 5-of-9 from distance to lead Power (3-1) who trailed most of the game. Guard, Paul Odong added 15 points and Philip Ameny contributed 13 points.
Syrus Kiviiri scored team high 17 points for Falcons (3-1), Steven Omony contributed 15 points but missed a score leveling 3-pointer before Norman finished Falcons off. Peter Elungant chipped in with 10 points and Steven Tumwesigye had 9 points and 7 rebounds off the bench.
Meanwhile, Vegetarian (2-2) blew out Nkumba Marines 72-48 led John Otto’s season high 23 points. Richard Ongom and last season’s MVP Ben Okumu contributed 13 points apiece and Grace Adra chipped in with 9 points to go with game high 12 boards. Marines (0-4) were led by Marcus Angolo with 14 points and Roger Kavuma added 10 points.
In the women’s division, KCCA Leopards steam rolled past school side Crane High Ladies 106-9. Martha Soigi, Rebecca Akullo and Angella Namuwaya scored 19, 14 and 11 points respectively to pace the unbeaten Leopards. Terry Nailo had 3 for Crane High.
UCU Lady Canons beat Magic Stromers 56-42 with forwards Purity Odhiambo and Franceas Nabulobi leading the way for Lady Canons (4-1) with 16 points and 11 points respectively. Carol Nyafwono led Stormers (3-1) with 17 points and Jackie Nakafero had 9.

RWANDA : Espoir go top of basketball league

Saturday
Men
Espoir 90-52 IPRC
30-Plus 60- 57 UR-CoE
ESPOIR RETAINED top spot in the national basketball league table after beating new entrants IPRC-Kicukoro 90-52 at Amahoro indoor stadium.
Still unbeaten in two and half seasons, Jean Bahufite’s reigning champions dethroned archrivals APR thanks to Lionel Hakizimana, who scored a game high 24 points.
“After winning against IPRC we can now have some relief,” Bahufite said yesterday ahead of his team’s second game of the weekend against 30-Plus, who notched their first win of the season following a 60-57 victory over University of Rwanda College of Education on Saturday.
However, by press time, the result of the Espoir vs 30-Plus game was not known. Espoir lead with 28 points from 14 matches, while APR is second with 27 from 16 matches. CSK have 26 points from 14 matches, while IPRC is fourth with 25 points from 16 matches.

01 June 2014

KENYA : Lions strike first League win

  • Lions Pascal Mwangilwa in league match at the Nyayo National Stadium.(Photo by Shutterspeed)
Lions secured its first win of the season on Saturday beating Kenyatta University Pirates 71-65 at the Nyayo National Stadium gymnasium.
The win was a big relief for the former league champions who had gone dry for five matches winless.
Pirates led 27-26 at the breather but Lions overpowered them in the second half to register the maiden win. Pirates won the first quarter 13-6 and Lions the second 20-14.
Lions carried home the third quarter 25-13 and Pirates the fourth 25-20. Captain Victor Ochieng led the scores for Lions with a game high 29 points while Benson Moibi scored 19 for Pirates.
Peter Shilton stole the show in the fourth quarter as Strathmore University beat Nairobi City Thunder 79-67.
Shilton, who top scored for Strathmore with game high 31 points, scored 14 in the fourth quarter as Thunder’s challenge weathered down.
Clifton Allela scored 21 points for Thunder who played without influential scorer Griffin Ligare. It was a comeback win for Strathmore after trailing 30-37 at halftime. The first quarter tied at 19-19 with Thunder winning the second 18-11.
The second half proved a turning point for Strathmore who scored 26-17 and 23-13 in the third and fourth quarters respectively.
Equity overcome Terrorists 
Equity Bank powered past University of Nairobi’s Terrorist with a 60-46 win. Equity heach coach Emmanuel Ochieng was up against his former side and had the last laugh.
The bankers enjoyed a two points lead going to the breather with 18-14 win in the first quarter and 12-14 loss in the second.
The third quarter was low scoring but ended in Equity’s advantage winning 11-8.
They wrapped up the win with a 19-10 score in the fourth quarter. Frederick Lugasi and Dan Nabuya top scored for Equity and Terror respectively with 19 points apiece, each scoring nine from the three-point line.
Mennonite’s fortunes continued to dip further low with a 55-71 loss at the hands of Kenya Airports Authority, KAA.
Alfred Kipruto and Danson Ngatia led the scores for KAA with a combined 29 points while Collins Ochieng scored 22 for Mennonite.
A late rally from Mennonite proved fruitless after giving away vital points in the opening half. KAA won the first three quarters 21-11, 20-10 and 12-8 while Mennonite won the consolation fourth 26-18.
The only women premier match played had Kenya College of Accountancy- University, KCA-U, beat visiting Western Delights 45-35. Rebecca Nkatha top scored for KCA-U with 17 points as Elizabeth Naliuba added 14. Celia Okumu scored highest for Delights with 13 points.
The quarters were evenly contested by both sides. KCA-U won the first and second quarters 15-5 and 14-11 while Delights took home the third 9-6. The fourth quarter resulted in a 10-10 tie.
Results: Thunder 67 Strathmore University 79, Lions 71 KU Pirates 65, Equity Bank 60 Terror 46, KAA 71 Mennonite 55, KCA-U 45 Western Delights 35.

UGANDA : Power vs Falcons match postponed


Power vs Falcons match postponed


Fans hoping to catch a glimpse of stars like Powers Afidra will have make do with three other games.
newvision
By Charles Mutebi
National Basketball League
Women
KCCA v Crane High
UCU v Stormers
Men
Nkumba v Vegetarian
Falcons v Power (postponed)
FUBA have postponed the perennially anticipated National Basketball League (NBL) clash between the Falcons and TigerHead Power, originally scheduled as Sunday’s main event at the YMCA.
The match was moved to a date yet to be set following a request from the two teams, who have some of their key players involved in the national team’s final preparations for the FIBA Africa Zone Five championship.
The Uganda Silverbacks were set to face Kenya in a friendly on Saturday and it was deemed unfair for Falcons and Power players involved in the international affair to take part in one of NBL’s biggest contests 24 hours later.
Consequently, only three NBL matches will take place today with the Nkumba Marines taking on Vegetarian in the only men’s match.
Nkumba are looking for their first win in the NBL after opening the season with three defeats while Vegetarian have one win in four and will be keen on taking advantage of the frail Marines to record their second win.
While the quality may not reach the Falcons v Power levels, the parity between Nkumba and Vegetarian should make their game a real contest.
The women’s affair between the UCU Lady Canons and Magic Stormers should be well contested even though the reigning champions from Mukono are favourites to ultimately prevail.

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