The first 2 games of the 2023 Women’s NBL finals have been like a chess game and so far it’s a stalemate.
It took a magical play with 10 seconds left as Perus Nyamwenge buried the 3 point shot that gave the Rangers victory in game 1.
The JKL Lady Dolphins adjusted accordingly in game 2 and all their mishaps from game 1 seemed to have disappeared almost completely. They blew the Rangers in the second and third quarters and sealed the victory.
A lot has been seen in these 2 games and here’s a breakdown of how KIU Rangers won game 1 and how JKL managed to comeback stronger in game 2.
The finals series shall be decided on mainly 2 battles, the shooting both midrange and from behind the arc and secondly, the battle in the paint. Both of these battles were at full display in the 2 games and they had a big impact on the eventual results.
As in the preview before game 1, we talked about the shooting prowess of the KIU Rangers. The Rangers are very lethal in that facet of the game and they have 3 or 4 players who alone can close out a game.
Ines Kanyamuneza tortured the Dolphins with her shots, burying 3 3-point shots and the others from Mid-range. Rose Mary Amaniyo was also in top form and she tried to avoid the paint, her Mid-range efficiency is like no other and she used it to full effect.
Despite having a bad outing from beyond the arc, Perus scored her only 3 point shot in the final seconds and it turned out to be the winner. Her Mid-range was great though on the day with 57% 2P.
The same cannot be said for the Lady Dolphins as they only managed to bury 3 3-point shots with 23 attempts.
In game 2, things went south for the Rangers as they only managed to bury 3 3-point shots. Their main weapon was cut off and they seemed to have no other alternative.
Battle in the paint
The battle in the paint was ultimately won by the JKL Lady Dolphins in both games. They out rebounded the Rangers by 21 and 27 respectively and the key piece to this was Becky Longom.
Becky picked 16 rebounds in game 1 but only managed 7 points with 7 rebounds with 2/9 Field Goals, most of them in the paint. Her game 2 was performance was superb as she picked even more rebounds (18) and was more efficient offensively with 15 points, 7/13, 53% FG.
Hope Akello was also in top form in game 2 as she picked 19 rebounds, 8 offensive. She also added 4 assists and 4 steals and was just unplayable.
Dorcas Marondera was quieted in both games. She made 0 field goals in game 2 and 0 points in game 1.
Dorcas has to really dig deep in game 3 because her team needs her a lot. And given that JKL has been so dominant in the rebounds picking,
Hope Akello was also cut off in points offensively in game 1, but she managed to pick 14 rebounds and made 7 assists.
Amaniyo Rose Mary has done a lot to avoid the paint and has been doing a lot of work from Mid-range. As it is, the coach doesn’t want to use her in their because of the crowding.
Stella Nanfuka made an impact in game 1 but Becky and Hope made she had no working space inside the paint thus she was rendered harmless.
Most of the other aspects of the game are almost tied but the effort from the Rangers was displayed more in game 1 whereas game 2, the JKL played with so much more urgency and intent.
Both teams benches haven’t contributed much, JKL had 0 bench points in game 1 and only 6 in game 2. The Rangers had 17 in game 1 but Ines had 15 of those and just 2 from the rest.
The Rangers Coach has however showed that he trusts some of his players making a couple rotations. This is contrary to what the Dolphins have done as the bench has not been given enough time.
It is unknown whether the bench players shall have a big impact in the eventual outcome of the series.
All in all, If the shots of the KIU Rangers fall, it will be so much easier for them but as things stand, the coach will need to find other ways of getting points if the shots fail.
For the JKL Lady Dolphins, the rebounding had been so good and if Becky Longom and Hope Akello remain in the same energy, it will so much easy for their side.
Photos 📸 by Toni Kamau/FUBA
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