By Dismas Nuwaine
The Uganda Christian University (UCU) Lady Canons were narrowly defeated yesterday by the JKL Lady Dolphins in the hotly contested first set of the final.
The Lady Canons trailed for most of the game and appeared to be struggling against the defending champions.
This much-anticipated match took place yesterday at the Logogo MTN Basketball Arena, which was buzzing with activity.
UCU’s sports administrator, Samuel David Lukaire, blamed the defeat on costly errors made by his team and a general lack of experience on the field.
“We were playing a very experienced defending champions team, and they certainly capitalized on our mistakes and punished us,” Samuel explained.
Coach Kiguyi Emmanuel, who was constantly on the sidelines yelling instructions to his players yesterday, has similar thoughts.
“There were only two or three players who had been to the final,” Emmanuel said emphatically. “Things were new to them, and in that state of affairs, anxiety sets in and takes a toll on players.”
From the first minute, the game proved to be worth the wait and trouble as both teams put on a show of their lives in the hopes of gaining an advantage in the first meeting of the final.
The Lady Canons got off to a fast start, taking the game to the JKL Lady Dolphins, with inspirational captain Hajara Lovi leading the charge.
After conceding a few shock scores from the inspired Lady Canons, the JKL Lady Dolphins later stabilized and grew into the game, making decisive shots that took them to the lead.
By the end of the first quarter, the Canons were trailing by 14 points to the Lady Dolphins’ fighting spirit.
The Lady Canons appeared to be out of the game in the second quarter, as the JKL Lady Dolphins ran riot, clinching basket after basket and establishing a 12-point lead by the end of the second time out.
Meanwhile, the Lady Canons refused to be stampeded and fought back valiantly to cut the deficit to 8 points by the end of the second quarter.
The third quarter was undoubtedly exciting, with the Lady Canons attempting to close the points gap and the Lady Dolphins attempting to widen the gap.
Navubya Shakira was the Lady Canon’s quarter hero, displaying great lion-like bravery as a solid figure in the back and saving her teammates numerous times.
The quarter ended with only 10 points separating the pair, whose energy and thrill brought the crowds to their feet, setting the stage for the night’s final quarter.
The fourth quarter was a revelation, producing a masterclass performance from the pair who gave it everything they had.
The UCU Lady Canons, backed by the chants of their raucous fans in the Arena, started strong, dropping basket after basket and closing the gap to three points.
The JKL Lady Dolphins stole the show late in the quarter, as the Lady Canons grew tired, regaining seven points to push for a 60-50 victory with only 10 points separating the two teams.
“We could have done better, but we blew our defensive abilities and allowed them to cut through. We have to go back to the drawing board and put ourselves in a better shape of mind,” asserted Najjuko Hajara Lovi, Captain of the UCU Lady Canons.
It’s worth noting that the Lady Canons advanced to the final after completely dominating the KIU Rangers in the first three sets, with the third set ending 65-40.
