Kibuli stunned Pearl Queens handing them their first defeat after a dominant 67-45 victory.

Kibuli came into the game having lost 4 of their 5 games, the only victory being a walkover against Buddo Mystiques.

On the other hand, Pearl Queens was unbeaten in 8 games and were on course to finishing the first round with a perfect record.

With the state in which the 2 teams were, this was a Goliath vs David kind of scenario and one would have been thought insane for predicting a Kibuli S.S win.

However, just like in the Bible, against all odds, Kibuli S.S (David), stunned Pearl Queens (Goliath), and not only was it a victory but a dominant one.

Pearl Queens led the game 13-9, and for many, it was going to be business as usual for them.

However, the situation changed in the second quarter.

Midway through the quarter, Kibuli made a 12-0 run to take a 5-point lead and tip the scale in their favor.

However, Pearl Queens cut it to a 1-point deficit after a Marion Esther triple with 4 seconds left before the halftime break.

Pearl Queens made 9 turnovers in the second half and Kibuli scored 9 points of their 19 points as points from turnovers.

Kibuli carried the second quarter momentum to the third quarter and the situation became sour for Pearl Queens.

They scored just 6 points to 21 for Kibuli in the third quarter and as a result, the high school side took a 16-point lead into the fourth quarter.

Pearl Queens scored 0 points in the first 5+ minutes of the third quarter.

Kibuli scored 7 points on their opening 4 possessions, 4 of them being points from turnovers.

They also scored 15 unanswered points to take a 16-point lead and by the time Pearl Queen put some points on the board, Kibuli had developed a comfortable cushion.

Youngster Shiphrah Kiranda destroyed Pearl Queens in the third quarter and was the leader for Kibuli both offensively and defensively.

She had 8 points, 8 rebounds, 5 steals, 1 assist, and 1 block in the third quarter alone and was virtually unstoppable.

Pearl Queens’ offense was still not firing in the fourth quarter as they scored just 1 field goal in the first 5 minutes.

Kibuli S.S led by as many 23 halfway through the quarter and it was nearly impossible seeing a Pearl Queens comeback.

Kibuli managed to see out the game to win 67-45 and cut their losing streak.

Shiphrah Kiranda became the first player to register a triple-double this season after dropping 25 points, 17 rebounds and 11 steals.

Lina Kuol also stepped up with an impressive 19 boards and 10 points for Pearl Queens.

Match Stats

Kibuli S.S

Shiphrah Kiranda 25 pts, 17 reb, 3 ast, 11 stl, 2 blk

Mariam Nganda 17 pts, 1 ast, 4 stl

Husnah Namagembe Abubaker 8 pts, 8 reb, 6 ast, 4 stl

Pearl Queens

Lina Kuol 10 pts, 19 reb

Marion Esther 8 pts, 4 reb

Cinderella Anena 8 pts, 8 reb, 2 stl, 1 blk

This victory signifies that no team is to be undermined and on any given day, a shock result can happen.

Many are saying that the fight to qualify for the NBL is between Pearl Queens, YMCA Lady Hamstars, and Victoria She Crocs but this result tells us that many more teams are still in the equation.

Kibuli also won their next game, dominating Legends to win 78-34.

Shiphrah Kiranda went off for 34 points,12 rebounds, and 8 steals in this game.

Her Captain Husnah Namagembe Abubaker registered a triple-double, 29 points, 15 rebounds, 12 steals, and 4 assists.

Kibuli S.S face Watoto next on Saturday 14th at KIU Kansanga.