Tension, fouling out, top shots, clutch plays, comebacks, missed free throws and so much more. This was by far, the biggest game of the season and it lived up to its expectations, making it worth every penny for the fans, as the JKL Lady Dolphins got an 83-81 victory against the KCCA Leopards

They say too many cooks spoil the soup, but in today’s game, every cook (player) added an ingredient that made the meal (game) more tasty and made the aroma even more pleasing.

For many, this was a ‘practice match’ with both teams sizing each other up and if this is what we could get in the finals, the Lady’s game might be more to prime time as it could have a more competitive edge and drama compared to the Men’s.

The JKL Lady Dolphins started the game in solid fashion, taking a 9-point lead after the first quarter.

The KCCA Leopards made a response in the second, starting the quarter with an 8-0 run to make it a 1 point game.

The Lady Dolphins cut off their momentum but the Leopards found a way offensively and made another 10-0 run to take a 7-point lead, but the Dolphins brought it to within 1 by halftime.

The KCCA Leopards carried their momentum forward making a 10-0 run to start the third quarter. They seemed to have figured everything out but the JKL Lady Dolphins made sure to keep within touching distance.

The fourth quarter was one of the most tense moments we have seen this season. The fans were on the edge of their seats, the players were hyper-focused, and the coaches were all thinking about how to secure the win.

The Lady Dolphins had an 8-0 run in the fourth quarter and they seemed to have the momentum as the clock winded down.

Brenda Ekone was in attack mode in the fourth quarter. Every time JKL got the ball, they passed it to her and she delivered buckets on most of the drives.

Evelyne Nakiyinji made some top shots in crunch time and one could argue that she won the game for the Lady Dolphins.

Talking points

Usage of timeouts

At 1:51 left, the Leopards call a timeout, but the play after that  doesn’t wok as it results in a turnover for which they get punished.

With 100 seconds left, Flavia Oketcho makes it a 6-point game and the Leopards call for another timeout. After the timeout, the ball ends up in the hands of Martha Soigi who attempts, but misses from the 3-point line. The Leopards get lucky to retain possession after Hope Akello steps out of bounds and they call their last timeout.

This time round, the ball ends up in the hands of their bucket collector, Perus Nyamwenge and she’s unfortunate not to make it count. However, Sylvester Kazibwe collects the offensive and dishes out to Leanne Nalunkuma who makes the 3 point shot, her first bucket of the game.

With 44 seconds left, the Lady Dolphins call their second timeout but they unfortunate not to execute the play after that as the Leopards got a quick foul. Ekone Brenda missed both but Hope Akello is gets the rebound and Flavia Oketcho is fouled. She makes both from the line making a 4-point game.

The Leopards quickly advance and once again, Leanne Nalunkuma makes no mistake to make it a 1-point game.

The Dolphins call for their final timeout, but they are unable to execute once again as the Leopards get a quick foul. Evelyne Nakiyinji scores one and the Leopards try to get a quick attack once again, this time round, the defense is very present and alert, by the time they get the shot off, the time had expired.

The KCCA Leopards had multiple opportunities to advance the ball and get off better shots with less than a minute left but given that they had already used their timeouts, they found themselves in a tricky situation. With their last possession, they had more than 10 seconds left and if they had a timeout, they could have called a timeout and make a final play, hopefully getting off a better shot.

To make matters worse, when they called the timeouts, the plays weren’t executed perfectly.

KCCA Porous Defense

In the 2 losses the KCCA Leopards have been served, their defense has been way below par, compared to when they win. During the fourth quarter, Ekone Brenda was just slicing through the defense, and nobody seemed to know how to stop her. When Nakiyinji came on, she was also just having fun going through the Leopards defense. On multiple occasions, the defenders never closed out and JKL was able to get off some shots from behind the arc and the Mid-range.

Magical Evelyne Nakiyinji

Evelyne Nakiyinji came in clutch for the JKL Lady Dolphins and her  floaters in the final period help turn tides around. She scored 9 points in the fourth quarter, including a 3-point shot as the clock was expiring, to give the Lady Dolphins a 4-point lead.

Is Sylvester Kazibwe KCCA ‘s most important player?

Sylvester Kazibwe was 2 assists shy of a triple and her performance was nothing but great. She had the highest +/- 11in the game and her impact while on the floor was felt. Defensively she has the ability to pressure the guards and force turnovers and she registered a game-high 4 steals.

Offensively, she’s not one to get multiple buckets but her shot selection is exquisite. Almost every time she attacks, you feel like something is about to happen because she can easily draw the defense and dish out the ball. She had a game-high 8 assists and stepped up when needed most. The same was seen during the Leopards loss to Miracle Ravens, she was the orchestrator but perhaps, the Leopards need to get more points from her in such games.

Squad depth

Given that this was a potential ‘practice’ game for what could be in the finals. The bench contributions mattered a lot. It is no secret that the JKL Lady Dolphins have only 8 players in their rotation with the other 4 being mere place holders. Agatha Kamwada (3), Thelma Toskin (7) and Evelyne Nakiyinji (12) all made some contributions but it was Evelyne who made a statement.

The KCCA Leopards had 35 bench points, with Margaret Bagaala, Sylvester Kazibwe, Leanne Nalunkuma, and Asinah Kabendela all making top contributions. It’s important to point out that the Leopards bench played a total 84 minutes while the Lady Dolphins one played 55 minutes. 

Who in KCCA can match Hope Akello?

It is no secret that Becky Longom and Hope Akello is the best big-man duo in the league and as seen from the 2023 Finals, they can single-handedly win a game for the Lady Dolphins.

Against the Leopards, Becky Longom had an ‘off’ night and even she fouled out. However, the reigning MVP, Hope Akello was there to compensate for that. She played 37 minutes, and registered 20 points, 17 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals.

Hope was simply unstoppable and despite attempts by KCCA to switch defenders, Rebecca Susan Aanyu, Asinah Kabendela and Martha Soigi all getting moments to defend her, they couldn’t slow her down.

That is one of the biggest factors why, despite the KCCA Leopards have a ‘better’ squad, the best player on the floor belongs to the JKL Lady Dolphins and she can hurt teams from the inside.

The final possession

The KCCA Leopards had about 10 seconds on the clock to try and attempt a last second shot. They quickly advanced the ball through Perus Nyamwenge to the left hand corner and the JKL side was able to trap them their.

A similar scenario was seen in the loss to Miracle Ravens. Perus Nyamwenge advanced the ball to the right hand corner and was trapped out, eventually making a wild shot that grazed the rim.

In an ideal situation, Perus Nyamwenge is the person you’d want taking that last second shot. She perfectly executed it against the Lady Dolphins in Game 1 of the 2023 NBL Finals.

So rather than Perus advancing the ball and attracting defenders to her, the Leopards should have another alternative so that Perus can end up with the ball and take that final shot with 1 defender contesting. She can even try to draw a foul, she had opportunities in both those defeats and she never tried to capitalize.

Close games struggles?

The JKL Lady Dolphins have won all their games but on the two occasions where they have been pushed to the edge, against Miracle Ravens and KCCA, they managed to grind out the result in their favor.

Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for the KCCA Leopards. On the two occasions where they have faced adversity, they have faltered. The Leopards were tested to the limits and it is commendable that they fought till the end, however, they never got the job done. This raises many eyebrows. Can they get the job done when it matters the most?

Match Facts

The JKL Lady Dolphins maintain their unbeaten run, 7 wins in a a row.

The KCCA Leopards have lost their second game of the season.

This is the first time in a game that both teams score 80+ this season. 

It is also the first time that a game has both teams score 40+ at half time.

It is the first time this season that both JKL Lady Dolphins and KCCA Leopards have unused players who are available on the bench.