24 September 2012

UGANDA : Falcons beat Warriors to underline ambition

Falcons shooting guard  Omony (right) is closed down by Warriors small forward Blick at YMCA on Friday. Omony played an impressive game to help Falcons triumph
Falcons shooting guard Omony (right) is closed down by Warriors small forward Blick at YMCA on Friday. Omony played an impressive game to help Falcons triumph.PHOTO BY ISMAIL KEZAALA In Summary
Finally Falcons do have the feel of old. They have a good starting five, rich depth as well as experience
It’s five years and counting since Falcons last won the Airtel National Basketball League title and four since they were contenders.
This season, they are much closer than they have been to adding to their six crowns, the last of which came in 2007, than they have been in perhaps two years.
Friday’s 73-65 win over Warriors at a packed YMCA court will be treated as a statement, far bigger than just being a 14th consecutive victory.
Stephen Omony’s game-high 18 points and 10 points elevated Falcons to a league-best 18-2 as Warriors fell to 17-2.
He eventually fouled out in the final two minutes. The damage was done by then. Falcons got sweet revenge for 73-53 rout in May, the last time they lost a game.
“I respect Falcons,” Warriors coach Mandy Juruni noted. The feeling is mutual. “We know Warriors will bounce back. We will respect every opponent,” said Omony.
Geoff Omondi added 14 points and 12 rebounds while centre Philip Ameny, towing a thin line with four fouls, added 12. “It’s good we lost a game at this stage so players can re-focus on the task,” Juruni added. His 11-game winning streak dating back to June was snapped. It was a slow start to topsy-turvy game until Omony blew it open with two sequential 3s. In the twinkle of an eye, Falcons built an 11-point lead at the end of third period. Even if it wasn’t the most spectacular of returns for Abdullahi Ramadhan to the Falcons’ roster for the first time since last November, Warriors only responded with brief scares.
Dulah, clearly lacking match practice, finished with five points, six rebounds, three assists and five turnovers. The losing finalists from the past two years, chasing the prospect of a fourth straight final appearance, must have wished guard Cyrus Kiviiri was fit. He was really missed.
“Our big men didn’t play well and that translated to the guards,” Juruni noted. Inside players Michael Kariuki (13), Sam Gombya (6) and Henry Malinga (6) shared 25 points in all.
The latter fouled out as they were outrebounded by a 31-46 margin. Warriors should still finish top of the log having beaten Falcons by 20 points earlier this season.
The view from the top will be hazier than it was last year when they finished the regular season 17-1, losing to only Charging Rhino, now in Division Two.

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