Fatigued Leopards beat APR
Becky Akullo (R) was among the KCCA Leopards players that faced APR yesterday few hours after arriving in Kigali by bus. PHOTO BY ISMAIL KEZAALA
What you need to know:
Basketball. KCCA Leopards fielded five players, who had just returned from Cameroon where they represented Uganda at the AfroBasket.
Kigali. A quick search on the internet reveals Cameroon is about 2310km from Uganda while Rwanda is approximately 450km away from the capital Kampala.
That is the distance five of the KCCA players have covered over the past two days in their bid to feature at the ongoing Fiba Africa Zone V Club Championship in Rwanda.
The players Martha Soigi, Becky Akullo, Monica Siima, Muhayimana Namuwaya, Flavia Oketcho plus coach Timothy Odeke, are fresh from the AfroBasket Women’s Championship that concluded in Cameroon last Friday.
All arrived on Sunday evening with the exception of Peace Proscovia, who is expected to join them on Wednesday despite revelations by Fuba that they would not receive allowances after the basketball federation failed to secure funds for the continental championship.
Proscovia is reportedly concluding her work at National Insurance Corparation after tendering in her resignation at the company. They are also yet to get any allowances from the tournament in Cameroon with the domestic basketball body Fuba yet to receive President Museveni’s financial pledge before the trip.
Tired but resilient
After being excused from playing on Sunday, the tournament’s opening day, the Leopards finally opened their account here yesterday evening with a tie against hosts APR.
Surprisingly, all the five players that had just returned, played a crucial part 24 hours after boarding the bus from Kampala as KCCA opened the tournament with a resounding 55-43 victory.
It was, however, Joy Chemutai, who eclipsed them all scoring a game high 21 points.
The Leopards used a 17-0 run at the start of the third quarter, restricting their opponents to nine points after going 26-22 at the break in favour of KCCA.
Namuwaya picked 12 rebounds while Soigi added 10 points and Oketcho seven. Joseylene Munyaneza and Sandra Kantore scored 14 points apiece for the APR side. KCCA return today against another Rwandan side Ubumwe.
This women’s title this year is being competed for by six teams whose winner will be decided after a round robin format with the runner-up joining the leaders for the continental championship in Angola later this year.
Tiger Head Power, one of the two Ugandan men’s teams at the tournament, will also be in action today in Group B against Kenya’s KPA, who lost 82-52 Egypt’s Gezira in their opening game on Sunday.
City Oilers on the other hand return tomorrow against another Kenyan side Ulinzi in the day’s last game.
ZONE 5 CLUB CHAMPS
PLAYING TODAY (WOMEN)
Ubumwe vs. KCCA 7.00PM
MEN: KPA vs. Power 1.00PM
YESTERDAY’S RESULTS
KCCA 55-43 APR
Power 70-64 CSK
