The Rezlife Saints pulled off a stunning revenge win against Sommet, defeating them 72-67 in a nail biting match that went down to the wire.

This victory marked the Saints’ fifth win in six games in round two, making up for their 77-81 loss to Sommet in round one, their only loss in that time.

Sommet initially took the lead, ending the first quarter 3 points ahead and maintaining a slim 35-34 advantage at halftime.

The third quarter was the difference in the game because Rezlife managed to create some separation between them and Sommet.

They took the quarter 20:14 and they managed to defend their 5-point lead till the end of the game.

The Rezlife Saints capitalized on the free throw line a lot in the third quarter. They scored 9 free throws of the 12 attempted during that time.

In the fourth quarter, the game was very close but Rezlife managed to stay ahead despite Sommet knocking on the door a couple of times.

With 44 seconds left in the game, Gerrard Ayiko Kessia managed to score lay up and draw the foul. After scoring from the free throw line, the game was within 2 points and Sommet needed to make one defense stop.

The Rezlife Saints came out of the time-out and tried to wind down the clock as much as possible and perhaps their biggest basket was scored.

With about 2 seconds left on the shot clock,  Lola Minani pulled up for a jump shot but he missed.

Fortunately for the Saints, Akena Deo was present to tip it in and that won them the game.

Match Stats

Rezlife Saints

Michael Othieno 20 pts, 6 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl

Akena Deo 9 pts, 9 reb, 1 stl

Michael Ssekibenga 13 pts, 5 stl, 1 reb, 1 ast

Sommet

Mark Ngobi 12 pts, 1 reb, 1 ast

Hon Kuany Lual 14 pts, 5 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl

Gerald Ayiko Kessia 13 pts, 9 reb, 1 ast

Rezlife is strongly holding onto the number one seed and they are a game away from sealing a playoff spot.

Coach’s reactions

Rezlife Saints  Daniel Jjuko Najja had this to say about his team’s performance on the night;

“We performed well as a team. We encouraged a lot of team plays and with a team like Sommet which plays so well, you have to play as a team. If you want to go solo, most of the times you are going to lose games but my boys came up big and played as a team“

He also commented about the performance and importance of Michael Othieno on their team.

“He’s a big piece for us, a mature player who has played for a couple of years. We trust him that he can always deliver for us”

The Saints’ have played 6 games in less than 2 weeks, the coach also reacted about the effect of the huge volume of games they have played so far.

“It’s  good for our boys to get tough. We need to secure that playoff spot so that we can prepare ahead”

The Rezlife Saints return to action on Saturday 21st against the Entebbe Knight Riders while Sommet will travel to the North to face Gulu Hawks on the same day.