Makerere Sparks will take on high school side St Cyprian Kyabakadde in the quarterfinals of the 2026 FUBA Division One. This is a tricky hurdle for them and in order to realize their NBL ambitions, they must cross it.

Why is this hurdle tricky?

Coming into the season, Makerere was by far the favorites. They won all their first round games and everything looked perfect. However, they faced turbulence in the second round. Makerere lost 4 of 11 games in the second round and St Cyprian was one of them.

In the first round, the Sparks defeated Kyabakadde 65-54. the second round was different as St Cyprian got revenge with a 59-56. What was interesting in this game was the fact that Makerere led by 14 points but the high school side managed to complete a comeback.

This game will be tricky for the Sparks because they got exposed the last time these 2 sides met. More importantly, the St Cyprian will come into this game with a lot of confidence. Remember that they have been one of the most in form teams in the second round.

Key Players

Makerere Sparks will be heavily relying on Afuwa Nabwanga, Denize Nabugasha and Faridah Nakyanzi in the back court. The trio has been part of the Sparks since 2023 and will be looked at for experience and also leadership.

In the front court, Purity Lamara, Mary Deng and Apuk Dium will be looked at. The trio has size but none has been dominant. They will need to raise their level if Sparks is to win the series.

St Cyprian will be relying on the brilliance of Angela Auma. In round one, she dropped 21 points and 14 in round two. Nakasujja who dropped 17 points and 8 rebounds in two will be a player that the Sparks will keep an eye on. Sarah Adong is another keep player for Kyabakadde.

This series will be very interesting to watch because all sides looked evenly matched. For Sparks, this year is an opportunity to make it to the NBL, they should prove it by making light work of St Cyprian. On the other hand, St Cyprian is looking for big fish to fry and hopefully make history in the process.

The quarterfinal series, games one and two, shall be played on Saturday 19th and Sunday 20th at Hamz Stadium Nakivubo. Both games shall tipoff at 12:00 pm.