KCCA Leopards will be aiming to make it 2-2, when they meet UCU Ladies in game four of the National Basketball League women’s play-off finals tonight at the YMCA in Wandegeya, writes JOHN VIANNEY NSIMBE .
The UCU Ladies appeared to be running away with these best-of-seven series, when they led 2-0 only to be pegged back by their perennial nemeses KCCA Leopards to bring the series to 2-1. And indeed pressure has now shifted to UCU. UCU coach Nick Natuhereza admitted that they did not handle the closing stages of their game three well.
Although UCU had led for three quarters, they let their guard down in the fourth quarter, and were duly punished. It is difficult to say that Natuhereza did not see this coming.
In both game one and two, despite having comfortable leads for much of the game, UCU have looked derailed in the final moments of games, only to miraculously grab victory from the jaws of defeat. Essentially, UCU have been living dangerously.
Natuhereza said: “I know. But it is something we can avoid by eliminating casualness and a lack of focus from our game. If we can be dominant in the first three quarters, there is no reason why we cannot be in the fourth quarter too. It is unacceptable that we had 25 turn-overs.” That is potentially 50 points on the board.
However, his opposite, Timothy Odeke, told The Observer that it has been a change in his team’s approach and attitude, that curtailed UCU: “We were able to pressurize them when we isolated the individuals that hurt us in the first two games. Defensively, we responded well this time and limited their big players’ threat.”
UCU’s Vilma Achieng and Sarah Ageno could only score seven and nine points respectively; not any better than they had done in game two, where they scored eight and six points respectively in game two. In game one, Achieng scored 10 points while Ageno had 19 points. Based on that, KCCA appear to have found a way to stop UCU’s big players (post players).
That means that UCU guards are left with more responsibility to either drive in and score or shoot. Ritah Imanishimwe, who had scored 13 and 18 points in game one and two of the play-offs for UCU respectively, was limited to 11 in game three. Judith Nansobya, who had 21 and 13 points in game one and two respectively, had 13 points.
Against that, Natuhereza will have to get his post players firing if they are to win game four. Otherwise, to let KCCA’s Martha Soigi dominate them with 19, 14 and 15 points in succession does not help UCU’s title ambitions.
jovi@observer.ug