by Sande Bashaija
Wandegeya
Sunday results
Power 101-88 Miracle
Rhino 88-66 Heaters
Jammers 79-91 Diamond
Women
Amazon 113-29 Lady Canons
Rangers 132-29 C. High
Tomorrow at YMCA
Ndejje v DMark Power
Sparks v Stomers
Cubs v Crane High
Miracle Eagles suffered a setback in their pursuit of an MTN-Fuba League play-offs slot when they lost 88-101 to champions DMark Power on Sunday night.
Beaten 89-80 by Kampala International University (KIU) on Friday, Power were desperate to avoid a second defeat in a space of three days. They did exactly that.
Former league MVP Norman Blick turned on the style, scoring a game high 39 points to earn Power their 14th win in 15 games and help them return to the top of the table.
Joseph Ikong (15) and Isaac Afidra (14) worked tirelessly to deny Miracle victory that would have taken them to fourth position on the 10-team table.
Following the loss, their eighth of the season from 15 games, Miracle remain fifth with 22 points. KIU occupy fourth, one point ahead of Miracle, and are now favourites to take the sole remaining play-offs slot.
Felix Olaba grabbed 16 points and Brian Ssentongo, signed from Falcons in pre-season, added 13 for the Rubaga-based Miracle Eagles, who have never made an appearance in the play-offs.
Local basketball governing body, Fuba, may have to consider dividing the women’s league into two categories.
This follows recent results that have exposed the gulf in class between few elite sides and their opponents.
On Sunday, for instance, university sides KIU Rangers and UCU Lady Canons, whitewashed Crane High and Amazon Rhino, in what passed to be training sessions.
Rangers mauled Crane High 132-29 while Lady Canons overran Amazon 113-29 in one-sided encounters. Action returns tomorrow.