Basketball in Africa

Three wins in four basketball games with three semifinal possibilities today, Uganda’s contingent at the Fiba Zone V Club Championship is ticking so many boxes.
With the exception of UCU Lady Canons’ 36-45 loss to Kenya’s USIU, the sheet is almost as white as it was when the draws were made at the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) centre, Makupa gym.
Like City Oilers on Monday against Rwanda’s Espoir, Tiger Head Power showed grit and composure to beat Co-op Bank (Kenya) 62-55 in pool B that also had the defending champions Urunani (Burundi).
Power’s transition game was largely negated. An unusual piece in forward Michael Kojo provided the thrust for a deserved victory.

Copying from Oilers’ Samuel Kalwanyi and Andrew Opio, Kojo came off the bench to score 10 points and 11 rebounds. Another reserve Paul Odong had 15. Norman Blick scored 11 points but was benched for the entire fourth quarter as coach Bernes Ankunda opted for Joseph Ikong even as he treaded a thin line on four fouls.
Ikong picked all four in the opening nine minutes. Power led 41-32 at the midway. A horror third period almost cost them the game. They failed to score for over five minutes. Then, Kojo took charge on both ends. “That was a big performance from him,” captain Ikong was quick to acknowledge. He just had to do it as Isaac Afidra’s local struggle continued here.