UCU Canons fighting for survival

By Charles Mutebi

National Basketball League Playoffs

Today, Lugogo

Game 2

Men: Falcons v UCU (Falcons lead 1-0)

Women: Sparks v Stormers (Stormers lead 1-0)

THE UCU Canons have swaggered through the 2013 men’s National Basketball League season like title contenders.

The Falcons have spent it lurching from one disappointment to another. Yet at the most critical juncture of the campaign for both clubs, their roles may be about to change.

UCU trail the Falcons 1-0 heading into Game 2 of their best-of-three quarterfinal playoffs today at Lugogo. And it is not so hard to imagine what would happen to the two sets of fans if the series were to end tonight.

The Falcons fans, having watched their team limp through the regular season before reaching the playoffs as the second-last seed, would begin to believe their team is capable of winning the national championship, once again.

UCU fans would be left wondering what their team must do to win the championship, once again. Canons coach Nick Natuhereza, who saw his troops blow an eight-point lead with two minutes to play in regulation time to lose 88-77 in overtime, says Game 1 is gone and there is only one choice.

“We must come out ready to play,” Natuhereza told New Vision Sport. “I felt we blew Game 1 but it doesn’t help worrying about what we can’t change. We must play smarter in Game 2.”

Good thing for UCU is top-scorer Sudi Ulanga is likely to recover from the muscle cramps that forced him out of overtime and paved the way for a Falcons victory.

Meanwhile, the Magic Stormers should wrap up their best-of-three quarterfinal series against the Makerere Sparks in the ladies’ game.