Lady Dolphins picking up for championship charge

Improved: Lady Dolphin’s Akello prepares to shoot in a recent league game. PHOTO/JOHN BATANUDDE

What you need to know:

  • JKL Lady Dolphins knocked off KCCA in 2017 and started a fight with UCU en route to their two championships and are currently the team to beat as they chase a three-peat.

Women’s basketball in Uganda has been a two-horse for the last twelve years. Between 2007 and 2017, only UCU Lady Canons and KCCA Leopards managed to put their hands on silverware with the Lady Canons scooping seven and the Leopards taking the other four.

JKL Lady Dolphins knocked off KCCA in 2017 and started a fight with UCU en route to their two championships and are currently the team to beat as they chase a three-peat.

With KCCA adding Claire Lamunu at the start of this season, they have the personnel to compete for this year’s championship by going shoulder to shoulder with the two strongest teams in the last three years.

Lamunu started the season by inspiring the Leopards to victory over JKL but that win has since been overturned with the four-time champions penalised for fielding the forward without a Letter of Clearance (LOC).

Henry Malinga’s charges have since recovered to register a narrow 48-46 victory over Angels and also overcame Lady Canons 76-72 in a tough contest on Saturday.

Even with the victories recorded so far, new recruit Zainah Lokwameri is yet to see the best out of her new side but is confident things will be okay along the way.

“We have been struggling but winning games,” the forward told Daily Monitor after the win over Lady Canons.
“We narrowly beat Angels and lost to KCCA so that’s not good enough.” 

Having won a three-peat with UCU, Lokwameri carries loads of experience into an already star-studded JKL.
JKL finished last season with no recognised small forward following the departure of Jamila Nansikombi and Lokwameri has filled that void immediately.

Playing against UCU is both challenging and exciting for the Gazelle having been part of the program for five years.
“I know them and they know me but it’s exciting,” she said of her duels with her former teammates.

The Lady Canons lost to Magic Stormers last weekend and were looking to recover against JKL but that didn’t work out and it is now two games lost before playing KCCA.

The Namboole-based outfit led by as many as 21 points in the game before stepping off the pedal and UCU forced overtime.
Hope Akello, Brenda Ekone and Muhayimina Namuwaya all fouled out in the fourth quarter and the Lady Dolphins struggled for offence, while the Lady Canons relied on a nine-point run to force an extra five minutes.

The 2018 and 2019 winners held their nerve for a narrow 76-72 victory.

Hajara Najjuko scored 15 points in UCU’s losing effort while Rhoda Naggita and Ruth Letaru added 12 and 11 points, respectively.
Meanwhile, the men’s game between UCU Canons and JKL Dolphins was washed out with seven minutes and 53 seconds left in the fourth quarter. The home side were leading 62-57.

National Basketball League

Results
Blazers    65-51    Falcons
Oilers    90-80     UPDF
UCU    72-76     JKL
JKL     62-57*  UCU Canons
*Game washed out in fourth quarter