29 August 2014

UGANDA : Trio cruise into Zone V semis


Mike Buzangu’s highlight dunk didn’t stop City Oilers from advancing. Courtesy photo 
By Ismail Dhakaba Kigongo

Posted  Friday, August 29  2014 at  01:00
In Summary
Basketball. This is the fifth successive occasion that KCCA are reaching the last four but are yet to make the final in that period. Three third place finishes are scant consolation.


Mombasa.
This could yet turn out to the best Fiba Africa Zone V Basketball Club Championships for Ugandan sides as three of the four made it to today’s semifinals.
KCCA Leopards cruised into the final four, again, yesterday, just 10 hours after City Oilers and Tiger Head Power did so at the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) centre, Makupa gymnasium.
The two men’s sides maintained their 100% starts on Wednesday night easily beating feeble opposition. Norman Blick scored 21 as Power thrashed Somali side ILS 94-42.
Oilers then labored to a 59-43 result against Ethiopia Waters to effectively knock out the 2012 champions Espoir from Rwanda. Espoir lost to Oilers and hosts KPA in a tough pool A.
Victory over Ethiopia’s GHA was never in doubt for KCCA and the 84-51 margin only confirmed the gulf in class. It was a morning of healing for Claire Lamunnu.
The forward scored 32 points while shooting 15 of 23 to bury the demons of Wednesday. She squandered a chance to beat the hosts, missing a free throws with nine seconds on the clock.
Lamunnu tied the game at 47-up and could have won it only for her attempt to hit the rim and send the game into the tournament’s only overtime game thus far. KPA won 53-49.
Coach Timothy Odeke will be pleased with the arrival of Muhayimina Namuwaya to beef the team’s inside presence in the absence of Martha Soigi and Peace Proscovia.
“Muha will help with our rebounding a great deal because we have struggled there,” point guard Flavia Oketcho, herself struggling here, said.
This is the fifth successive occasion that KCCA are reaching the last four but are yet to make the final in that period. Three third place finishes are scant consolation.
Power and Oilers will want to take lessons from them and go one better than their female counterparts or even emulate Falcons and Lady Bucks.
The latter two are the only Ugandan sides to have this event back in 2000 and 2004 when it was hosted in Kampala. Winning here might just better that.
ZONE V CHAMPIONSHIPS
RESULTS
MEN: Power 94-42 ILS (Somalia)
City Oilers 59-43 Ethiopia Waters
WOMEN: KCCA 84-51 GHA (Ethiopia)

Comments: Post a Comment



<< Home

This page is powered by Blogger. Isn't yours?