Sande Bashaija
10 November 2009
DMark Power are closing in on another MTN-Fuba League championship. The defending champions on Sunday eliminated Kampala International University (KIU) to qualify for the finals and await the winner between Falcons and Warriors.
"We are going to defend the title, no doubt about that," senior player Isaac Afidra asserted after Power defeated KIU 94-83 in overtime at YMCA to complete a 3-1 semi-final series victory.
Andrew Baziira's charges were not convincing on the night and Afidra admitted as much. "We need to step up and avoid cheap errors in the final," acknowledging KIU's resilience, Afidra said.
With seven seconds on the clock, KIU captain Markmot Orom should have sealed the game on the charity line. He missed one of the two shots but managed to level the scores at 81-all and squandered possession moments later by attempting a three-pointer instead of penetrating into the Power paint.
Superb Markmot
Nonetheless, Markmot still stood out for KIU with 23 points, 12 of them coming from outside the arc. Yet, the free-scoring big man didn't get a breather throughout the match.
With the dependable Michael Karuiki (22) already fouled out early in the fourth quarter, KIU had no answers to Power's depth and brilliance in the five minutes of overtime.
Only the slam-dunk hungry Dhol Aleu (11) managed to get the ball in the hoop for KIU as Afidra (22), Ben Komakech (23) and Joseph Ikong (6) combined for a massive 13 points in the session.
Overtime ended 13-2 for Power, leaving KIU lamenting the many turnovers that cost them victory.
But KIU should still be proud of their performance; after all they lost to the best team in the land - the only local team that can afford to field all their 12 players in a crucial game.
Sunday results
Power 94-83 KIU
Rhino 76-73 Berkley
Diamond 94-92 Kings
Tomorrow at YMCA
Falcons v Warriors 8pm
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