Nam Blazers suffocate JT Jaguars to wrap up first round with victory
Nam Blazers completed their National Basketball League first round schedule with a 82-62 win over JT Jaguars on Friday night at Lugogo. The Blazers (10-1) used a strong defensive effort in the third quarter to pull away from the Jaguars (5-5) in what was a close contest in the first half. The opening quarter was […] The post Nam Blazers suffocate JT Jaguars to wrap up first round with victory appeared first on Kawowo Sports.
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- Nam Blazers 82-62 JT Jaguars
Nam Blazers completed their National Basketball League first round schedule with a 82-62 win over JT Jaguars on Friday night at Lugogo.
The Blazers (10-1) used a strong defensive effort in the third quarter to pull away from the Jaguars (5-5) in what was a close contest in the first half.
The opening quarter was played at a slow pace but the Jaguars found transition opportunities to edge ahead 15-11 forcing Blazers into a time out. The Jaguars switched between the 3-2 and 2-3 zone, but the Blazers shot well from 3-point territory (6-for-12) including a pull up buzzer beater from Moses Mugisha to lead 20-19 at the end of the period.
In the second quarter, Numuwongo went to the 3-2 that they regularly switched a 1-2-2 with pressure on the ball and forced a couple of turnovers to start the quarter and that set the tone defensively. At the other end, the long-range carnage slowed down as coach Stephen Escodata went big with Peter Obleng, Anthony Chukwurah and James Okello. The Jaguars, mostly through George Odeke and Abraham Chuol, erased a double digit lead to just 2 points (33-31) forcing Blazers into a time out with just over 3 minutes to play after which they went on a 6-4 run to close out the half leading 39-35.
In the third quarter, the Blazers played a high block in their zone to take away the horns action from the Jaguars and also ran traps on the wings to force bad passes and ultimately turnovers. At the other end, the Blazers slowly built a double digit lead (52-39) that forced Sudi Ulanga to call for a time out that hardly translated into success for the Jaguars, particularly defensively, as the side trailed by 22 (67-45) heading into the fourth period and the game was all but done.
Fataki Nyembo led Namuwongo’s team effort with a team high 19 points. Ivan Muhwezi (16 points) also reached double figures for the Blazer who had every player score at least 2 points.
Abraham Chuol, the only Jaguar to score in double figures, finished with a game high 20 points.
The Jaguars return to Lugogo on Sunday afternoon for their ultimate fixture of the first round against the Rezlife Saints.
The post Nam Blazers suffocate JT Jaguars to wrap up first round with victory appeared first on Kawowo Sports.
