The Namuwongo Blazers defeated the UCU Canons 89-62 in game one of the semifinals to take a 1-0 advantage in the series. From the final 5 minutes of the second quarter, the Blazers were in full control and managed to win the game with ease.

Before the game, a win for the Nam Blazers was expected given how dominant they were in the regular season and the fact that they whooped the Canons 82-39 in the second round. However, the UCU Canons started the game very well and looked like a completely different team from when the 2 teams met last time around.

They started off with a 7-0 run and after the first quarter, the game was tied at 17 points apiece. In the second, the Canons once again started well but collapsed along the way. In the final 5 minutes of the half, the Namuwongo Blazers made a 17-0 run and this put them in a very comfortable position. From there onwards, the Canons making a comeback was an illusion.

What happened?

Blazers upping their defense

Defense has been one of the key areas in which the Namuwongo Blazers have outperformed everyone. They have the ability to engage another gear and we saw that in the final 5 minutes of the quarter. They suffocated the Canons and forced them into 7 turnovers in about 5 minutes. The Blazers were having very good rotation on defense and played with a certain sense of urgency and physicality which the Canons failed to match.

Transition: Defense to offense

The most impressive thing is that; not only did they force turnovers but also punished the Canons. In those 5 minutes, Namuwongo scored 10 points from turnovers. In the entire game, UCU made 23 turnovers and Namuwongo scored 36 points from turnovers. What this means is that for every turnover that the Canons’ made, the Blazers scored 1.4 points, which is remarkable.

3-point shooting

The Blazers are probably the best shooting team in the league. They have a number of players who are capable of lighting up from behind the arc. In game one, we saw Innocent Ochera and Kasereka Tembo hit a couple of threes.

Ochera scored 19 points in the third quarter while hitting 5 3-point shots in that period. Tembo sunk 4 triples but the degree of confidence and difficulty was high. Despite Tembo scoring 22 points, he was not efficient to the level that we know he can be.

Positives for the Canons

The biggest positive for the UCU Canons is the fact that they scored 62 points which is 23 more than they did in the second round of the regular season. That should give them confidence in their ability to score coming into game 2.

The other thing is the fact that they matched the Oilers in the paint. The Blazers had 40 points in the paint while the Canons had 36. With the difference in the quality of the 2 teams, the Canons should be happy that they also did some damage inside the Blazers’ paint.

How can the UCU Canons stop the Blazers

The Namuwongo Blazers have a lot of weapons at their disposal but from game one, we saw a couple being used. First and foremost, the shooting. What the Canons can do is to make sure they contest everything. They need to make sure that they guard their perimeter ferociously.

Additionally, we saw the Blazers move the ball very well. The UCU Canons have to make sure that they rotate on defense. Each and every person on the floor has to be on the same page defensively.

The other area that the Canons can hurt the Namuwongo is on the 3-point shooting. They made just 5 of 21 attempts in game one which is very low and allows room for so much improvement. If the Canons can catch fire from behind the arc, the Blazers will have something to think about.

Finally, physicality. Namuwongo is the most athletic team in the league and they can get physical. In order to be ready for the series, the Canons have to be tougher.

Game 2 will be on Sunday 26th at the Lugogo Indoor Arena.