Wednesday, August 23
•UCU Lady Canons 58-76 JKL Lady Dolphins
•Rezlife Saints 71-77 D-mark Power
Rezlife Saints are all but relegated after suffering a 71-77 defeat against Power in the National Basketball League on Wednesday at Lugogo Indoor Arena.
The result left the newcomers bottom of the 12-team pile with a lowly 3-15 record.
They must win all their remaining four games – JKL Dolphins, Ndejje, UPDF and Nam Blazers – to have a slightest of chance to stay in the league.
But that may still not be enough provided other teams’ results don’t go their way, and its a matter of time that their fate will be brutally confirmed.
On Wednesday, they scored the first basket, but that was the only time they led in the game.
They levelled the scores thrice in the contest, in the second and third quarters, but the side couldn’t go through their gears in one of their most important games of the season.
Emmanuel Okot, with 15, scored Rezlife’s most points, Benjamin Kawumi and Ivan Ombiru added 12 while Claude Aligawesa contributed 10 in defeat.
Guellord Mobanza and Ozias Kikomba scored a joint-game high 17 points for Power and Elvis Ssentongo added 14 in the rout.
Rezlife did not go down without a fight, but as it has been this season, including in their first round two-point defeat in the reverse fixture, their effort has not been good enough.
The defeat is the eighth in a row for Daniel ‘Najja’ Juuko’s side, and the hard reality is that such a run is a for a team that is not good enough to play in the top flight.
It’s win number 11 in 20 games for Power who have consolidated their fourth place with two games to end the regular season.
In the first game of the evening, JKL Lady Dolphins beat UCU Lady Canons 76-58 in a repeat of the league’s final for the last three seasons.
Hope Akello led the assault with a game high 22 points, before the Gazelles star added 13 rebounds to complete a double double.
Diana Barbara Achieng, with 13 points, was the only UCU player to reach double digits as the side succumbed to their sixth defeat of the season.
