By Charles Mutebi
THE Kyambogo Warriors have figured out what has been costing them against the UCU Canons all season. A lack of respect for their opponents.
“On paper we are the better team,” said Warriors star Steven Okias. “But we need to stop looking at them as the underdogs.”
The Warriors go into today’s Game 2 of their best-of-five playoff semi-final series trailing 1-0 and Okias believes now is the time to start treating Nick Naturehaza’s team with the respect they deserve
“They have worked for their respect and they deserve it. We can’t afford to disrespect them because when you consider that they have beaten us three times (twice in the regular season), it actually means we are the underdogs.”
One series with two teams that respect each other is the women’s playoff semi-finals between the KCC Leopards and A1 Challenge. KCC took a 1-0 lead after winning a closely-contested game one with a lay-up in the last five seconds and little should change when the two rivals – who contested last year’s finals which KCC won 4-1 – renew hostilities at Lugogo.
Elsewhere, Richard Omondi ripped Power apart with a game-high 26 points and 10 boards to help the Falcons tie their semi-final series at 1-1 on Wednesday.
Omondi and his Kenyan compatriot Sudi Ulanga, 16 points, livened up the series by preventing the Falcons from going 2-0 behind. Isaac Afidra and Emma Enabu were Power’s top-scorers with 13 and 11 points respectively.
Meanwhile the KIU Rangers made history by recording their first postseason victory after shocking the Lady Canons 75-74 in Game 2 of their semi-finals. Judith Nansobya sunk a team-high 25 points for KIU, who led all four quarters to stun the top-seeded Canons, for whom the irrepressible Lorraine Akinyi grabbed a game-high 26 points and 15 rebounds.