Written By | Alex Mbamanya
PICTURES: Action between St Mary's Kitende (black) and St Noa
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Mukono
Girls Final
Kitende 49 St Noa 32
Boys Final
Amus College 33 St Michael 29
St Mary's Boarding School Kitende returned to the summit of girls’ basketball after overpowering two-time champions St Noa Girls School 49-32 in the final of the USSSA Ball Games I held at the Seroma Christian High School courts on Thursday.
It marked the end of a three-year pursuit for the Wakiso giants, who had fallen short against their arch-rivals St Noa over the past two years, both at national and FEASSA regional level.
However, changes in the team’s technical administration appear to have yielded quick results, with Marion Atwegyeire joining as sports tutor and Jonathan Egau replacing long-serving Boniface Okello as head coach.
Kitende came into the tournament as a determined side, winning all their group matches before thrashing Ndejje Secondary School 62-17 and overcoming hosts Seroma Christian High School in the semifinals to set up a fourth consecutive final against perennial rivals St Noa.
In the final, Kitende made an early statement with a 10-3 lead within the opening minutes of the first quarter on the newly constructed Seroma courts, while St Noa struggled to recover through unsuccessful long-range attempts.
The situation worsened for the Abel Omongin-coached side after they lost three key players to injuries, while Jonathan Egau carefully managed his substitutions as the game progressed.
Eventual Most Valuable Player (MVP) Marian Apolot contributed 12 points, while Josephine Najjuko added nine and Shifrah Kiranda scored eight to guide Kitende to victory.
With 30 seconds left on the clock at 49-32, St Noa simply bounced the ball around the court without making any attacking move as the game wound down before wild celebrations erupted from the Kitende supporters at the final whistle.
“We are definitely happy as the new technical staff on the team, and we thank the cooperation we have received throughout. This win is special because we achieved it after two years of battling the same team,” said a jubilant Kitende coach, Jonathan Egau.
“We are yet to reach the level we want, and now we have to go back and work on the areas that still need improvement as we prepare for the FEASSA Games,” he added.
On his part, St Noa coach Abel Omongin praised his players for their performance despite the injury setbacks suffered during the competition.
“We came with ambitions, but along the way we were affected by unavoidable circumstances, especially injuries in camp. However, we believe there are more titles ahead to compete for, and we shall not relent. We shall prepare adequately and see how to match up with them next time,” Omongin said.
Meanwhile, Amus College School retained the boys’ title after edging first-time finalists since 2006, St Michael High School Sonde, 33-29 in a tense final.
Torch Media Africa
