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UPDF Tomahawks beat JKL Dolphins 68-47 in the National baketball League at Lugogo to move to third place on the table.

The Tomahawks were unstopable in the second half en route to picking their 11th win of the campaign.

The first half ended all square at 26-26 but UPDF thereafter picked up in the second half, sharing and moving th ball very well.

JKL who were without Brian Namake and Jude Ochen was not efficient on offense and turned the ball 32 times.

Only Mabor Makol (14) scored in double figures for Dolphins, with the big man adding 14 rebounds to complete a double-double.

Okello David and Arthur Wanyoto scored 17 and 13 points respectively while Ferdinand Odama had 9 points and as many rebounds for the Tomahawks.

It’s the third straight win for UPDF who recently beat Our Saviour and Tropical Royals.

It’s the ninth loss for JKL who beat Power on Sunday.

Uganda’s National Men’s Basketball Team, Silverbacks, will be looking to seal a place in the final round of the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers when the second leg of the first round takes center stage.

The qualifiers tip-off on Friday at the Bank of Kigali Arena in Kigali, Rwanda with the Silverbacks taking on Mali in their first of the three games.

The team played three friendlies in Cairo and lost all to Rwanda (84-45) Egypt (89-58) and Jordan (78-66) but head coach George Galanopoulos says they made the team better.

“These games have been great for our preparation and showing us where we need to improve. The players have been working hard and more committed than ever and getting better, we are looking forward to getting to full strength.

“We are going to continue to watch videos, practicing, and preparing for our first game.”

Uganda is third in a four-team group and has to stay within the top three places to progress to the Second Round of Qualifiers.

Uganda’s Fixture

Point guard Chris Omanye has returned to Nam Blazers for the second round of the National Basketball League.

The Congolese logged 28:14 minutes as Nam Blazers beat Ndejje Angels 84-79 on Sunday at the MTN Arena Lugogo. He finished the game with 7 points and 5 assists.

It’s the second stintt for Omanye who joined Nam Blazers last season from Warriors.

The former KIU Titans went on to average 9.7 points and led the team (Nam Blazers) in assists before the season was suspended due to COVID-19.

He joins the Blazers again midway through this season and his return is a big boost for coach Stephen Nyeko whose side also signed last season’s Kenyan League MVP Kenneth Wachira.

Amisi Saidi finished with a double of 17 points and 12 rebounds for the Blazers as they picked their 9th win of the season in 13 games.

Samuel Ajak had 30 points but his effort proved to be in vain for Ndejje University Angels who suffered their 10th loss of the season and are seated second from the bottom of the 13-team log.

Sunday, 26th June

JKL Dolphins beat Power 62-56 in a National Basketball League game played on Sunday at the MTN Arena in Lugogo.

The Dolphins got off the blocks early and went on a 10-2 run before taking a 22-14 lead at the end of the first quarter.

JKL had answers every time Power tried to rally. Henry Malinga’s charges led by 15 points at one stage in the game.

Maluel Dier shot 10-of-17 for a game-high 23 points while Mabor Makol contributed 11 points, 12 rebounds, and 4 assists in the win.

Innocent Ochera who finished with 18 points, was the only Power player who scored in double digits. Geoffrey Soro struggled to score the basketball as he shot 1-for-11.

It’s the fifth loss for Power who have been beaten by Nam Blazers, UCU Canons (2), and City Oilers.

The win, on the back of a 62-47 victory over Our Saviour on Saturday, is the seventh for JKL Dolphins this season.

Results | Sunday, 26th June

Uganda’s Silverbacks are in the Egyptian capital Cairo for a training camp ahead of the upcoming window of the FIBA Basketball World Cup Qualifiers.

The region comprising of four home-based players arrived in Cairo on Saturday. The four players are power forward James Okello as well as guards Jimmy Enabu, Tonny Drilleba, and Ivan Muhwezi who all feature for City Oilers.

The home-based players will be joined by nine other foreign-based players who include a fresh face in center Jonathan Komagun of the Sacramento State Hornets.

Phoenix Suns forward Ishmail Wainwright who missed the first window of qualifiers returns with Emmanuel Mugenga, Keiran Zziwa, and brothers Adam Seiko and Arthur Kaluma who all were unavailable in the first window.

The team has three friendlies lined up against Rwanda, Jordan, and Egypt to fine-tune for the Qualifiers that will be played from 1st-3rd July.

The Silverbacks are third in Group A with a win over Cape Verde and two losses to Mali and Nigeria.

The Squad

Ivan Muhwezi, Jimmy Enabu, Tonny Drilleba, James Okello, Jonathan Komagun, Ishmail Wainwright, Robinson Opong, Adam Seiko, Arthur Kaluma, Deng Geu, Emmanuel Womala, Kieran Zziwa, Emmanuel Mugenga

Uganda’s Friendlies

Uganda’s U-18 national girls’ basketball team (Junior Gazelles) qualified for the 2022 FIBA U18 AfroBasket that will be held in Madagascar.

The Junior Gazelles achieved the feat after a 63-43 win on the tournament’s final day over Tanzania to win the regional qualifiers that were played at the MTN Arena in Lugogo.

Uganda thus qualifies for the continental tournament that will be played from 23rd July 23 to 7th August at the Mahamasina Sports Palace in Antananarivo.

Going into Saturday’s encounter with Tanzania, the Junior Gazelles needed nothing but a win having lost to Rwanda the previous day.

And after a dry spell of five minutes, Uganda went on an 8-0 run before completing the first quarter with a 16-8 lead.

The second quarter was evenly contested but Uganda was 49-34 going into the fourth quarter and registered a 20-point win before a cheering sizeable crowd.

Sylvia Nantongo scored game-high 17 points on 8-of-13 shooting and pulled down 11 rebounds.

Point guard Mariam Namukwaya continued her excellence in the tournament with a 10 points and 10 rebounds double-double and Gertrude Nyamutooro contributed 10 points.

Anjela Minja, the only Tanzania player in double figures, had 10 points and 12 rebounds.

In the boys’ category, Rwanda beat Tanzania 84-49 to win the tournament unbeaten and qualify for the U18 Boys Afrobasket finals in Madagascar as well.

Saturday Results

Uganda’s U-18 boys’ national team got their FIBA AfroBasket Zone V Qualifiers underway on a losing note.

The Junior Silverbacks fell to Rwanda 59-38 on Monday night at the MTN Arena in Lugogo.

Uganda was second-best throughout the game as they managed to score just 5 points in the first quarter and trailed by 15 points (31-15) at halftime.

The Junior Silverbacks played better in the third quarter with James Osinde (13 points) the leader of the spark but once he got a knock on his knee, Uganda’s struggles continued and eventually lost by 21 points.

Samuel Ola had 10 points and 11 rebounds while Marvin Jesse added 8 points and 12 rebounds for the Junior Silverbacks who return to action today to face Tanzania.

Brian Karenzi (11 points, Dick Rutatika (11 points), and Izere Rutsindura (9 points and 13 rebounds) were the top contributors for Rwanda.

Results | Monday, 13th June

Fixtures | Tuesday, 14th June

UCU Canons avenged the first-round loss to Victoria University with a deserved 81-60 victory on Sunday at YMCA Wandegeya.

The Canons whose only defeat in the first round was against VU proved that the first-round loss was just a grey area in a perfect run as the game was almost done after 20 minutes as the Canons were 42-24 up.

Center Titus Lual played one of his best games of the season with a 15 points and 11 rebounds double-double. Cranmer Wamala notched his season-high 15 points while Ceaser Adoke and Rogers John Baptist contributed 12 points each.

Maker Mayen (17), Mambo Kabuye (14), and Ronald Ayume (12) scored in double figures for Victoria University.

It’s the second straight win for UCU who also beat Power 65-53 on Friday after the side opened the second round with back-to-back losses against City Oilers and KCCA Panthers.

UCU Canons move top of the table with a 13-3 record (13 wins and 3 losses), just above City Oilers who have played a game less.

It’s the 13th loss for Victoria University who have won only twice in 15 games this season. The other win for the newly founded basketball team came against the winless Falcons.

Next Up

Nicholas Natuhereza’s Canons face KIU Titans on June 24 while Eddy Manzi’s Victoria have JKL on their next menu two days earlier.

The League takes a break ahead of the 2022 U18 FIBA Afrobasket Zone V Qualifiers.

Sunday Results

Namuwongo Blazers new signing Kenneth Wachira turned in a player of the game performance on his National Basketball League debut.

Wachira who joined Blazers from Kenya Ports Authority scored game-high 27 points in the 64-52 win over UPDF Tomahawks at YMCA, Wandegeya.

The Kenya Basketball League MVP who went 7-for-14 from outside the arc added 10 rebounds and two assists to his points tally.

Wachira was complimented by shooting guard Paul Odong who netted 12 points as Nam Blazers avenged their first-round loss to UPDF.

David Okello scored 13 points, Arthur Wanyoto and Ferdinand Odama added 9 and 7 points in that order for UPDF.

Blazers (8-4) will return to action against Ndejje University Angels on 25th June as focus turns to the Zone V U18 AfroBasket qualifiers.

Saturday Results

Sunday Fixtures (Lugogo)

In a bid to compete strongly in the second round of the 2022 National Basketball League, KIU Titans have reportedly added three new signings.

The second round of the league tips off on 3rd June.

The players said to have joined the Kansanga-based side are Kenya Morans forward Fidel Okoth, former UCU Canons shooting guard Isaiah Mabeny Ater, and Silverbacks big man Stanley Mugerwa.

Ater, a renowned shooter, was part of the UCU Canons squad that reached the 2019 National Basketball League finals.

Mugerwa, formerly at Warriors, was at Titans last season before the season was canceled due to Covid, and he later went to Burundi for a short stint.

The played five games for the Titans in the cancelled season, averaging 6.4 points and 7 rebounds.

The Titans completed the first round fifth on the log with seven wins and five losses.