Dolphins come back to life

The JKL Dolphins managed two victories in the first round of the National Basketball League (NBL) men’s 2026 season.

Relegation looked like a foregone conclusion.

Four games into the second round, JKL are on course for the playoffs. Thanks to a three-game winning streak, JKL have climbed from the relegation zone to eighth in the log. Two of those victories came back-to-back over the weekend, against the KCCA Panthers and then the JT Jaguars.

The victory over the Jaguars was unique for several factors. For starters, it was the second game of a back-to-back for the Dolphins, which is always hard to pull out. But perhaps even more significant was the profile of JKL’s scoring.

Not a single Dolphin reached double figures, an extremely rare occurrence in any local ball game, let alone in the NBL. Kenneth Mesho and Ichut Ring finished with nine points apiece for JKL, who defeated the Jaguars 49-42. Both teams finished with more rebounds than points—the Jaguars with 62 and the Dolphins with 52—in a contest that will not be remembered for elite scoring anytime soon.

Yet for JKL, all that matters is winning. In fact, the victory took them ahead of the Jaguars, who have lost five in a row now.

Both Peter Sifuma and Abraham Chuol had 12 points for the Jaguars. The former added 22 rebounds.  

National Basketball League

Results

Women

JKL 47 Victoria 37

Stormers 73 Angels 43

KIU 65 Queens 60

UCU 50 Victoria 39

Stormers 47 Jaguars 46

Men

Victoria 68 UMU 62

JKL 49 Jaguars 42

Namuwongo 66 UMU 46

JKL 56 KCCA 52

Sommet 80 Rockets 67