The Makerere Sparks defeated Seeta High 54-52 in game one of the 2026 Division One semifinals. With this, they took a 1-0 lead in the series. This was a very competitive game that went down to the wire but the Sparks managed to come out on top.

Coming into this game, Seeta High had swept Nkumba 2-0 in the quarterfinals. On the other side, Makerere Sparks had overcome St Cyprian in a 2-1 series victory. Additionally, Seeta High had defeated Makerere Sparks in the second round and that made this such a high stakes game.

This game was end to end from the get go and drama was expected. The Sparks led by 4 points in the first quarter but Seeta High made an 8-2 to lead the game 16-14 after the first period. The second quarter was similar to the first and both teams were going at each other. At the halftime break, Seeta High was still in the lead with the score being 31-29. At this point, the highest lead had been 5 points, a testament to how close the game was.

The scores reduced in the third quarter mainly because of the turnovers from both teams. Both teams combined for 15 turnovers and not much was seen offensively. Of the 22 points scored in the quarter, 12 were from turnovers. Nonetheless, Seeta edged Makerere and led the game 43-39 going into the fourth quarter.

At this point in the game, Makerere Sparks had attempted 20 3-point shots and had not made any. Their luck soon changed. After a shaky start from both teams, Nassali Margaret made back-to-back 3-point shots give Makerere a 2-point lead. Seeta were unfazed and responded with 2 quick baskets to take back the lead. However, Afuwa Nabawanga made another huge 3-point shot for the Sparks and their confidence were up.

There was still a lot of time left in the game but one could sense that Seeta High had sort of given up. They missed 3 consecutive free throws and what things worse for them was the injury of Christine Namyaalo.

Makerere made a turnover and the ball was passed to Namyaalo for the layup. Purity Lamara came sprinting and was able to make the chase down block. In the process, she collided Namyaalo who unfortunately had to be carried off the court. After that, it was as though Seeta switched off. They made uncharacteristic turnovers but somehow the game was still there for the taking.

With a less than 20 seconds left, Seeta had a chance to take the lead or level the game. Makerere made a turnover and in a 2v1 situation, Bilha Akinyi opted for a 3-point shot instead of going for a layup. Unfortunately for her, she missed and Makerere went on to win the game 54-52.

Top performers

Achomo Lucky led the scorers with 25 points, 8 rebounds and 4 steals. Moureen Lamwaka was a force on the floor and she finished with 10 points, 19 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocks double-double.

Afuwa Nabawanga scored a team-high 14 points plus 9 rebounds while Nassali Margaret had 10 points with 6 of those coming at a very crucial time. Purity registered a staggering 6 blocks plus 8 rebounds.

Game Two

The teams shall meet again on Saturday 4th October for game two at the YMCA. By the standards of the two teams, game one wasn’t exciting and a lot will be expected in game 2.