Friday, March 29
•A1 Challenge 42-65 UCU Lady Canons
•KIU Titans 86-56 Livingstone
•KCCA Leopards 81-83 JKL Lady Dolphins
•UCU Canons 65-53 Nam Blazers
JKL Lady Dolphins maintained their unbeaten streak by narrowly outlasting KCCA Leopards 83-81 in a nail-biting National Basketball League encounter at Lugogo.
The Lady Dolphins initially seemed to dominate, establishing a 26-17 lead after the first quarter.
However, the resilient KCCA Leopards fought back, winning the second quarter 26-16 to take a one-point lead at halftime.
By the end of the third quarter, the Leopards had extended their lead to seven points.
Yet, the JKL Lady Dolphins staged an impressive comeback in the fourth quarter, orchestrating a crucial 10-0 run to seize a 69-67 lead midway. Despite Leane Nalunkuma’s efforts for KCCA, who scored two vital three-pointers to keep her team in contention, JKL managed to hold on to secure the victory in a thrilling finish.
Hope Akello was instrumental for the Lady Dolphins, recording a double-double with 20 points and 17 rebounds.
Additionally, Brenda Ekone (22 points), Flavia Oketcho (15 points), and Evelyn Nakiyinji (12 points) contributed double digits in scoring as well.
On the opposing side, Perus Nyamwenge led the scoring for KCCA with an impressive game high 27 points, while Sylvia Nakazibwe’s all-around performance included 13 points, 10 rebounds, and 8 assists. Margaret Baagala also made a notable contribution with 12 points.
Although KCCA Coach Rogers Sserunyigo may feel his team could have performed better, he will be proud of the resilience after a slow start.
The battle of the top two teams lived to the expectations, setting the tone for future matchups.
Despite KCCA’s edge in rebounding (53-50) and bench points (35-22), JKL Lady Dolphins remain undefeated after seven games, while KCCA Leopards suffer their second defeat of the season, concluding the first round with a commendable 9-2 record.
