Watoto rally from 2-0 down to book National Basketball League promotion
Watoto Basketball Club will play in the National Basketball League next season after completing a remarkable comeback to defeat Berkley 3-2 in the Division One playoff semifinals. Watoto sealed promotion with a hard-fought 54-51 victory in Sunday’s decisive Game Five at YMCA Court in Wandegeya, recovering from a 2-0 series deficit to win three consecutive […] The post Watoto rally from 2-0 down to book National Basketball League promotion appeared first on Kawowo Sports.
Black News 
Watoto Basketball Club will play in the National Basketball League next season after completing a remarkable comeback to defeat Berkley 3-2 in the Division One playoff semifinals.
Watoto sealed promotion with a hard-fought 54-51 victory in Sunday’s decisive Game Five at YMCA Court in Wandegeya, recovering from a 2-0 series deficit to win three consecutive games and book their place in the final.
Victor Aaron Makmot led the charge with 20 points, while Sydney David Walusimbi added 10 points and nine rebounds to inspire Watoto’s memorable turnaround.
Emmanuel Omara and Andrew Kirabo also made valuable contributions on the boards, recording 15 and 10 rebounds respectively as Watoto held their nerve in a tense encounter.
Berkley, who had taken early control of the series by winning the first two games, saw their campaign end in disappointment despite a strong individual performance from Emmanuel Opio.
Opio registered a double-double of 19 points and 10 rebounds, while Richard Anyunva added 11 points, but the duo could not prevent Berkley from surrendering their advantage.
Watoto had looked well-positioned to force the series into a deciding stretch after taking a 29-24 lead into halftime on Sunday.
However, Berkley fought back in the second half, capitalising on Watoto’s 30 turnovers to make the contest go down to the wire.
Despite the pressure, Watoto did enough to secure the victory, completing one of the standout comebacks of the Division One playoffs and securing a return to the top flight.
KIU Titans await in final
Watoto will now face KIU Titans in the Division One final after the latter eliminated YMCA Hamstars in the other semifinal series.
Both teams have already secured promotion to the National Basketball League for the forthcoming season, with the final set to determine the Division One champions.
They will take the places of Kampala Rockets and UPDF Tomahawks, who were relegated from the top flight.
Meanwhile, Seeta High School and Kampala University Ladies have secured promotion to the women’s National Basketball League after their campaigns in the Division One competition.
The post Watoto rally from 2-0 down to book National Basketball League promotion appeared first on Kawowo Sports.
