JKL take long swin to fourth title

JKL Lady Dolphins completed their series comeback to secure their fourth National Basketball League title Sunday night at the Lugogo Indoor Stadium.

Down 2-0 at the start of the seven-game series, the Lady Dolphins responded with four straight victories to land the championship with a 4-2 difference against the UCU Lady Canons.

Sunday’s 68-56 win was enough for Henry Malinga’s charges to avoid Game Seven and close the series.

Ritah Imanishimwe sank five threes from 11 attempts to keep the scoreboard ticking for JKL and went on to record a game-high 19 points on the night.

JKL got out of the blocks early to take the first quarter 22-8 and establish a healthy lead. And even when the Lady Canons got into rhythm and edged the second frame 22-20, JKL remained comfortable with a 12-point margin (42-30) at the break.

“We had a couple of lapses (in the first two games), we had things we didn’t work on but I felt like we kept getting better in each and every game,” Hope Akello, who was named MVP and dedicated the accolade to her teammates, said after the game.

The center scored 14 points and collected 11 rebounds for yet another double-double in the series. She averaged 12 points and 11 rebounds in getting JKL over the line.

Brenda Ekone, who contributed nine points and four rebounds on the night, led the league in scoring (413) for a sixth straight season and was also named in the best five of the division alongside Akello, UCU’s Shakira Nanvubya and the JT Lady Jaguars pair of Sarah Ageno and Mercy Batamuliza.

Lady Canons head coach Nicholas Natuhereza admitted his side were up against a tough opponent. “I think on the balance of play we deserved to come second best,” Natuhereza noted after the game. UCU lacked the required depth to confront a JKL side littered with top talent and depth.

Outside Nanvubya, UCU struggled for a consistent playmaker while the inexperience of Sylivia Nantongo and Matrina Anyango in the paint left Bridget Aber with a lot on her plate in the paint.

JKL’s addition of Gazelles captain Jane Asinde in the second round made it even harder for opponents to stop them. The forward would go on to average 14 points and six rebounds in JKL’s title winning campaign.

National Basketball League Finals

Game Six - Result

UCU L. Canons 56-68 JKL L. Dolphins

JKL win series 4-2 

Season accolades

Champions: JKL Lady Dolphins

Runners Up: UCU Lady Canons

Third Place: JT Lady Jaguars

Fair Play: JT Lady Jaguars

Most Valuable Player: Hope Akello

Top Scorer: Brenda Ekone

Best Rebounder: Mercy Batamuliza

Best Defender: Bridget Aber

Best Five: Shakira Nanvubya, Brenda Ekone, Sarah Ageno, Hope Akello, Mercy Batamuliza

Past Winners

2024 – JKL Lady Dolphins

2023 – JKL Lady Dolphins

2022 – UCU Lady Canons

2021 – Not Played (Covid-19)

2020: Not Played (Covid-19) 

2019 – JKL Lady Dolphins

2018 – JKL Lady Dolphins

2017 – UCU Lady Canons

2016 – UCU Lady Canons

2015 – UCU Lady Canons

2014 – KCCA Leopards

2013 – UCU Lady Canons

2012 – KCCA Leopards

2011 – UCU Lady Canons

2010 – UCU Lady Canons

2009 – KCCA Leopards

2008 – UCU Lady Canons

2007 – KCCA Leopards

2006 – Lady Bucks

2005 – A1 Challenge

2004 – Lady Bucks

2003 – Makerere Sparks

2002 – Lady Bucks

2001 – Lady Bucks

2000 – Lady Bucks

1999 – Lady Bucks

1998 – Lady Bucks