Sande Bashaija
Kampala
Warriors find themselves in a must-win situation going into the second game of their Fiba Africa Club Championship in Kigali, Rwanda.
The Ugandan representatives unluckily lost their opening fixture 70-71 against Zone 5 champions Cooperative Bank of Kenya and can’t afford to falter against Congo Brazaville’s Inter Club again today if they are to qualify from Group B.
“The boys were still fatigued from the long road trip and some of them complained of humidity in the stadium,” Warriors patron Ambrose Tashobya, who returned to Kampala yesterday to look for more money to facilitate the team, said. “We should have won that game but our first two quarters were so poor,” Tashobya added.
Warriors had a poor start, losing the first quarter 13-20 and trailed by seven points until the end of the third session (50-57). A spirited display from Abdullahi Ramathan (31 points) and Ronnie Kasewu (22) gave Warriors brief hope of avenging their loss to Coop in the Zone 5 final but luck eluded them.
John Agik scored 24 points and George Kabuli added 18 as the Kenyans recorded a good start to the continental showpiece at Amahoro stadium. “That loss has worked as a wake-up call for us,” Warriors player Francis Kasekende said. “We stand a big chance against Inter Club.”
Warriors still have Benin’s Espac to deal with tomorrow and wrap up their group games against defending champions Primero de Agosto of Angola on Thursday.