Power might have finally seen the light after having multiple flickers in the second round.
Power has had a couple of close games, losing by 1 point against KCCA Panthers with Okumu Demunu scoring a 3-point shot, the game-winner with 18 seconds left.
Power also pushed Namuwongo Blazers to the edge but lost 68-70 in the end. Kevin Ogunjimi had an opportunity to give them a lead from the free throw line with 34 seconds but he missed both and Namuwongo went on the win.
However, all this will be left in the past after they opened a fresh page with a first victory in the second round.
Having lost to KCCA Panthers by a single point the day before, Power had their work cut out and they managed to finally cross over the hump with a 67-77 win against Kampala Rockets.
Kampala Rockets had been unbeaten in the second round with 3/3 and Power had 6/6 losses, but both teams were tied on 4 wins for the season, and securing a win for either team was very vital.
The game was very competitive, but Kampala Rockets held a 3-point advantage heading into the final quarter.
During the fourth quarter, the game was within 5 points for 9 minutes but Power managed to break away in the end after making an 8:0 run to end the game.
Talking points
It was a team effort, what Power exactly needed given the position they were in. They had 5 players in double digits scores with 4 of those being new signings.
Power switched up tactics and it paid huge dividends. During Round One, Power was using the quick transition with 1 or 2 runners on the court and they always capitalized on the opponents’ lack of awareness. With the new signings, that changed but against Kampala Rockets, Power went back to that tactic for some spells. Being able to try out different things that work is important and Power got that one right.
Lemaniku Reagan did an incredible job of guarding Ruai Luak. For the 18 minutes that he played, his job was to run around following Ruai Luak and making it difficult for him. Despite Luak finishing with 20 points, most of them came when Reagan was on the bench and Luak did not score a field goal with Reagan on the floor. Reagan’s defense was so vital and he had +/- 20, the second highest only behind Kevin Ogunjimi (22).
Kevin Ogunjimi also came in clutch, 11 points in the final 3 minutes of the game was huge for them it got them over the line.
One of the key things was the defense, in the first 6 games of round one, Power gave up over 78 points per game but they restricted Kampala Rockets to just 67 points, 24/85, 28% FG (the lowest by the Rockets in round 2) and 2/24, 8% from 3-point range.
Team Stats
Isaac Afidra 18 pts, 7 reb, 1 ast
Soro Geoffrey 13 pts, 2 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl
Taariq Julaam Tendi Powell 13 pts, 7 reb, 3 ast, 1 stl, 1 blk
Kevin Ogunjimi 13 pts, 6 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl
Clinton Omondi 14 pts, 14 reb, 1 stl, 1 blk
Way forward
With a victory, Power has to make sure the momentum gained carries them forward in their remaining games.
They play KIU Titans next and they shall face Ndejje Angels, Our Savior and Livingstone in their final 3 games. The final 3 opponents are all teams in the bottom half of the table and they are all looking to secure victories to survive relegation or even get into the playoffs.
Power shall be looking at those games as opportunities to secure victories but also those teams shall be looking at Power as a team they can get a victory against. All in all, the games are promising to be very tense and shall most likely keep the fans on the edges of their seats.
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