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Uganda’s Junior Gazelles (Girls) and Junior Silverbacks (Boys) qualified for the 2024 FIBA U18 African Championships that will take place in Johannesburg, South Africa.

The Ugandans qualified in their respective categories by winning the finals of the FIBA Zone V U18 Championship played at the Lugogo Indoor Arena.

Both teams faced Rwanda in the finals, with the Junior Gazelles picking a one-sided 82-52 victory while the Junior Silverbacks nicked a slim 69-66 win.

Tournament top scorer Resty Nanangwe led the Junior Gazelles with a game-high 21 points with support coming in from Shiprah Kiranda who racked up a double-double of 18 points and 12 rebounds.

Bridgette Nibishaka and Rebecca Cyuzuzo top-scored for Rwanda with 13 and 12 points respectively.

Gazelles

Nail-biting Boy’s Final

While Uganda had previously beaten Rwanda 78-49 at the group stage as well as the other opponents Kenya and Tanzania, the final was tough.

Uganda led 19-17 after the first quarter but were behind 34-29 at halftime. The Junior Silverbacks however recovered and entered the final quarter with a slender one-point lead (51-50).

Rwanda led by 4 points midway through the last quarter before Uganda rallied back for the win mainly throough Tejan Joel Rugette who stepped up down the stretch.

Rugette finished with 15 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists which got him the tournament MVP honours.

Peter Sserunjogi (15) Gideon Ekukwai (14) and Edrine Ekau (13) also scored in double digits for Uganda.

FIBA Afro Basket Qualifiers | Semifinal Results

Uganda Junior Silverbacks and Gazelles will return to action today as they seek to seal the ticket to the upcoming FIBA U18 Africa Championship.

The long-awaited tournament will be tipping off in August this year in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Both teams have a chance to clinch tickets to the continental showpiece after qualifying for the finals of the ongoing FIBA U18 Zone V Championship at the Lugogo Indoor Arena.

To reach the final, the Junior Silverbacks registered a well-deserved 104-41 victory against Tanzania in a thrilling encounter that was played on Thursday evening.

Uganda opened a 12-point lead at the end of the first quarter (23-11) before they widened it to 37 points (56-19) at the break.

Coming from the locker rooms, the boys took the second gear proving that they were way better than their opponent. At the end of the third quarter, Uganda was leading the game by 53 points.

At the end of the four quarters, the Junior Silverbacks smiled away from the one-sided game with a 63-point victory.

It was a fruitful day as five players scored a double digit; Brighton Galiwango (16), Mukisa Nkugwa (14), Peter Sserunjogi (13), Tejan Joel Rugette (10) and Aaron Victor Makmot (10).

On the side of the ladies, Uganda secured Tanzania a 100-56 victory in yet another thrilling showpiece.

In the final, both teams will lock horns with neighbours Rwanda and a victory will give each side a direct ticket to the FIBA U18 Africa Championship.

Uganda National U18 Basketball Teams – Junior Gazelles and Junior Silverbacks – continued to shine on Matchday 2 of the FIBA Africa Zone V U18 Qualifiers.

The two teams registered big wins against Kenya and Rwanda, remaining unbeaten in the ongoing tournament at the MTN Arena in Lugogo.

Junior Gazelles beat Kenya 97-47 in a one-sided game.

As was the case against Rwanda, the Junior Gazelles pressed their Kenyan counterparts throughout the game to get easy points as they forced 71 turnovers.

Resty Nanangwe scored 23 points, picked 7 rebounds and made 5 assists in 15 minutes to lead Uganda. Christine Namyalo and Modesta Anyango contributed 19 points apiece and Angella Auma chipped in with 11.

Junior Silverbacks

In the boys’ game, the Junior Silverbacks overcame a slow start to beat Rwanda 78-49.

Uganda trailed 15-11 after the first quarter but started to get into their tracks in the second quarter and followed into the third while keeping it tidy on the defensive end.

The side led by as many as 38 points in the third quarter which they dominated 31-7.

Kagaba Musiima (15), Andrew Mukisa Nkugwa (14), Edrine Ekau (11) and Gideon Ekakwai (10) all scored in double digits for Uganda.

NBL Results | Wednesday, June 5

UPDF Lady Tomahawks suffered their 13th loss out of the 20 games played in the ongoing National Basketball League 2023-24 regular season.

JKL Lady Dolphins registered a well-deserved 82-48 victory against UPDF Lady Tomahawks in the National Basketball League at Lugogo Indoor Arena on Wednesday.

On the other hand, the Lady Dolphins secured their 20th victory of the season posting a whooping 20-1 record as playoffs draw nearer.

The Lady Dolphins opened an eight-point lead (21-13) as they made it clear how badly they wanted the game.

Evelyn Nakiyingi’s jump shot concluded the second quarter, and the Lady Dolphins went into the long break with a 21-point lead (42-21).

In the third period, the Lady Dolphins were not lethal enough, scoring only 15 points, but maintained their 26-point lead.

At the end of the four periods of entertaining basketball, the league favourites sealed a 34-point victory on the day.

Brenda Ekone (15), Hope Akello (13), and Evelyn Nakiyinji (10) scored in double digits to guide the JKL Lady Dolphins to victory.

For the UPDF Lady Tomahawks, only Sandra Asiimwe (13 points) scored in double figures.

Jane Asinde has signed for National Basketball League side JKL Lady Dolphins for the rest of the season.

Fresh from her college at UTEP Women’s Basketball team in the USA, Asinde joins the reigning league champions.

FUBA clearance is pending for Asinde’s full return, but she’ll suit up for the JKL Lady Dolphins upon approval.

Asinde aims to maintain her fitness with the Lady Dolphins before pursuing a professional career in Europe.

Her past performance with her former club and the national team solidified her reputation as a valuable player.

Adding Asinde to their roster strengthens the JKL Lady Dolphins’ championship aspirations.

The Lady Dolphins currently lead the women’s league standings with 31 points after 19 games.

NBL Results | Sunday, June 3

UCU Canons secured a 64-58 victory in the National Basketball League at the YMCA Court in Wandegeya.

The victory sailed the Canons back to winning ways after suffering two losses on a bounce against Namuwongo Blazers as well as the KCCA Panthers.

It was a close contest from word go as the Canons came out of the kiln creating a one-point (18-17) lead at the end of the first quarter.

Despite the pressure in the first period, the tables changed as the Canons widened their lead to 18 points (40-22) going into the long break.

Ibanda Lwabaga’s three-point floating jump shot brought an end to the third quarter as the Canons led the game with 22 points (60-38).

In the final period of the game, Our Saviour came all out though despite the late surge the game ended as they were trailing by six points.

Ibanda Lwabaga and Joel Kayira made a significant contribution to the Canons’ victory after dropping 12 points each.

On the other hand, Henry Ssebagala (18), and Moses Mugisha (15) scored double digits but their input was not enough to give the team a victory.

Sunday Results

Kampala Rockets registered a narrow 59-56 win over JT Jaguars in the National Basketball League on Sunday at YMCA in Wandegeya.

It was a low-scoring thriller that went to the wire despite the Jaguars falling back early in the game.

The Rockets had a 17-9 first quarter and Jaguars took the second quarter 13-11 to reduce the deficit before starting off the third period strongly to take the lead.

Jaguars had a good third quarter and took a 2-point (42-41) lead through a team effort to set up the game for an entertaining fourth quarter.

A 6-0 run to start the fourth period from Rockets saw them assume a slim 4-point lead but JT Jaguars fight was a lone fight by George Agasi and they eventually fell short.

The Rockets were led by Ruak Ruai who notched the first triple-double of the season in the division. He scored 15 points, picked 11 rebounds and dished out as many assists. Puati Kikomba also scored 15 points and pulled down 15 rebounds while Simon Ola netted a game-high 19 points.

Agasi finished with 14 points and matched game-high 15 rebounds in a losing effort, Ian Lubwama scored 15 points while Aaron Ebonyu notched a team-high 16 points to the Jaguars.

NBL Fixtures | Friday, May 31

The National Basketball League matchup between KCCA Panthers and City Oilers promises to be an exciting clash at the Lugogo Indoor Arena in Kampala tonight.

KCCA Panthers will enter today’s game on a high after edging UCU Canons 72-70 in a close encounter on Wednesday.

The Panthers displayed a strong character, battling back from down to secure a hard-fought victory on the day.

City Oilers, the reigning champions, face a different challenge. They’ll be without three senior players – Jimmy Enabu, James Okello, and Tonny Drileba – who have departed the team.

Additionally, Ivan Muhwezi is unavailable due to being out of the country, leaving the team with a number of loopholes.

This creates a tough task for City Oilers’ head coach Andrew Tendo, who has had to rebuild the team following the departures.

KCCA Panthers, boasting a 13-1 record under coach Raymond Muhumuza, will be looking to inflict City Oilers’ second loss of the season.

In the first round, however, City Oilers emerged victorious with a convincing 85-73 win.

The women’s game also promises to be a close battle, with JKL Dolphins (17-1) facing off against KIU Rangers (12-2).

The Rangers hold the upper hand, having defeated the Lady Dolphins 55-50 in their only loss this season.

JKL Dolphins might need to dig deep to secure a win, especially with the potential absence of their star player, Brenda Ekone.

NBL Results | Wednesday, May 29

KCCA Panthers secured a hard-fought 72-70 victory against UCU Canons in the National Basketball League at Lugogo Indoor Arena on Wednesday.

In the first round, the Panthers won the game 69-65 in yet another close-contested game. Canons suffered the eighth loss of the campaign in 18 games played.

The Canons on the day turned up without their head coach Nicholas Natuhereza, who was away on an official trip to Soroti, but his absence greatly affected the team.

The Mukono-based side lacked character and attention throughout the game, giving the ball away easily but not putting up any contest whenever required.

The Canons kicked off the day with the required rhythm leading the first quarter with seven points (18-25).

Later on, the Panthers greatly improved in the second quarter fighting for every rebound, though they went into the break trailing by eight (43-35).

Coming from the locker rooms, the Panthers kept improving their craft thus reducing their deficit to four points (58-54) at the end of the third period.

It was a nail-biting show in the final quarter as the Panthers claimed the day’s bragging rights.

With 1:40 left on the clock, the game was tied at 70-70 before Emmanuel Okumu converted one of the free throws to give the Panthers a one-point lead.

Zachariah Ekirapa committed a personal foul sending Ceasar Kizito on the line who converted only one of the two free throws.

The Canons launched the game’s last attack, but Nobert Okidi’s jump shot failed to hit the target, hence handing the Panthers the victory.

Ceaser Kizito led the Panthers’ scoring chart with 18 points. Stephen Otoa, Emmanuel Okumu, and Emmanuel Ateng also scored a double digit dropping 17, 13, and 11 points, respectively.

On the other hand, Canons had four players scoring a double-digit namely; Nobert Okidi (16), Joel Kayiira (13), Jonathan Kasilimbi (11) and Zachariah Ekirapa.

NBL Fixtures – Wednesday, May 29

UCU Canons will take on KCCA Panthers tonight in a National Basketball League encounter at Lugogo Indoor Arena, Kampala.

The encounter promises to be a closely contested game since both sides come into the game with similar ambitions of returning to winning ways.

In the recent fixtures, the Panthers fell to JKL Dolphins while UCU Canons suffered a huge 93-109 loss to Namuwongo Blazers.

Ahead of the game, Canons Captain Ibanda Lwabaga told this publication that they should improve on their defence if they are to win the game.

“We have to improve our defence and contest for the ball quite often if we are to win games,” he said.

“In our previous game, we put in a great shift offensively but lacked the grip and hard work to guard our hoop. We have tried to rectify a number of things and I anticipate a good game,” he added.

“At this moment each game counts because we want to collect more wins so that we finish in a more favourable position ahead of the playoffs.”

In the game against Nam Blazers, the Canons had a good day offensively but were not tight at the back on top of giving away easy turnovers.

In the 17 games played by either side, each team has so far secured 10 wins and suffered seven losses.

In the first round, the Panthers edged the Canons 69-65 in a close game and it’s just a moment of time to see if the Mukono-based side can avenge the earlier loss.