Game-five of the women’s national basketball league play-off finals is scheduled for tonight at the YMCA court in Wandegeya, after KCCA Leopards tied the series 2-2 in game-four on Wednesday night, writes JOHN VIANNEY NSIMBE.
Checkmate! Such was the situation, chess-like, when KCCA Leopards came storming back to level their best-of-seven series against UCU Ladies 2-2. By this time last week, KCCA were 2-0 down, and clearly staring down the barrel of the gun.
However, now that KCCA has turned the tables, keeping these series alive, the momentum is with them. The 71-63 win by KCCA in game-four was the biggest margin registered by either team in this final.
Game-three had just been a 58-54 KCCA win. But the latest result was a manifestation of how clinical KCCA are becoming as the series rage on. KCCA coach Timothy Odeke said they had always believed they could do well if they focused on their strengths: “In the last two games, the reason we have done well can be attributed to our willingness to fight for every ball.”
Essentially, the dire situation KCCA found itself in, in the early part of these series, has not just made them desperate, but also made them have an undying hunger to win it.
Their last title was in 2014. And at that time, they rallied from 1-3 down to win 4-3. A similar script appears to be playing out now. And like the cliché goes that necessity triggers invention, KCCA have done that, while at the same time, found a way to neutralize UCU.
Since KCCA’s post players Martha Soigi and Maimuna Namuwaya stepped up their game, UCU’s post players Vilma Achieng and Sarah Ageno have not been able to hurt them much on the offence.
There is little sign that this will change in the coming games basing on the two recent ties unless coach Nick Natuhereza gets his charges playing with more conviction and esteem. Natuhereza insisted that he is still confident in his team to succeed. But all they have to do is to limit self-infliction, as has been the case lately.
Notably, the efficiency of KCCA was 69 per cent while UCU stood at 55 per cent in game-four. That compared to 60 per cent for UCU and KCCA 42 per cent in game one which tells its own story on which side the pendulum is leaning towards.
jovi@observer.ug