Falcons beat Mombasa to retain Abe Linc title

By Douglas Mazune DEFENDING champions Falcons on Sunday defeated Mombasa Combined to become the first Ugandan team to win the prestigious Abe Linc basketball tournament back-to-back. Coach Ronnie Kaboha's Falcons rallied from four points down at half-time to subdue the dreaded Kenyans 67-53 before a baying home crowd that turned up for the thrilling encounter that ended after midnight. Falcons were spurred by the tournament's MVP Justus Mwisakyeni, Steven Omwony, Wilson Kalyebala, Eric Malinga, Nimrod Kaboha and Simon Ndaula among others who contributed greatly to the team's success. Even when Omwony, widely believed to be the back-born of Falcons game went to rest, his team still amassed baskets. Falcons' manager John Ssimbwa and coach Kaboha were all smiles to bag the fourth trophy this year. Falcons, added the Abe Linc to the East and Central Africa, Kamanyire and Rajan titles. "It was an excellent display, everybody on the team played well and contributed a lot. It was team work that worked," a jovial Kaboha said. Kaboha went on: "Winning a tournament is great but retaining a title is a special thing to celebrate about. We won't get tired of winning, we want to make winning our habit. We made a mistake to lose the league title to Power but we have since beaten them (Power) three times," Kaboha boasted. Falcons saw off Power in the semi-final while the host club Charging Rhino, who have made to the final more times in the seven-year old tournament, fell to Mombasa in the semi-finals. However, the Kenyans did not return home empty-handed as their ladies team defeated Lady Bucks 57-41 to retain the title while Miracle edged Falcons Junior 31-26 to lift the junior's trophy. The absence of teams from Rwanda, Tanzania and Burundi reduced the competitiveness of the event. Ends