Warriors keen to impress in return to Zone Five basketball
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Reading Time: 3min | Tue. 07.10.25. | 08:47
The team is one win away from qualifying for the semis
Ulinzi Warriors opened their East African Basketball Championship Cup (EABCC) title chase with a shaky performance against Tanzania's Stein Warriors, but skipper John Washika remains confident they are a contender.
The Bernard Mufutu-coached side is making a return to FIBA Africa Zone Five competition after their last participation in the Road to BAL back in 2021.
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The side recovered from a slow start to pick a hard-fought 73-57 win, a second half resurgence ensuring the military side protected their home court and moved to a win away from the semis.
"We played against a very athletic team that was good in one-on-one defense. They were not playing as a unit, however, and we were aware they could not sustain their plays under immense pressure.
After the opening half, we needed to advance our defense and play aggressively, which led to turnovers that gave us crucial possessions," offered Washika, adding that better communication on defense and dominating the boards in the second half was key in this victory.
Ulinzi's adjustments defensively, opting for a rigorous zone defense that stifled Stein's individual brilliance in the second half worked magic as they managed to pull away for victory.
Simeon Rapudo led the scoring for Ulinzi, dropping 16 points with a 6-of-12 conversion on the paint, two more than Brans Nzioka who came two rebounds shy of a double-double.
Rigan Okere, who also came two rebounds short of the same, and Elisha Odhiambo added 13 and 10 points respectively.
Stein's charge was led by Jonas Oberlin Mushi and Sisco George Ngaiza, with the duo combining for 41 of the side's 57 points, with 27 and 14 respectively.
"Our target is first to win the next game against Gambela City to advance directly to the semis. We have a few things to work on based off how the opening match went, but overall the team fought as a unit and we will do more of that in the remaining matches," Washika added.
How They faired against Stein
After an underwhelming 6-3 in the opening five minutes of thee clash, filled with empty possessions and turnover after another, Ulinzi led 13-12 after the opening 10 minutes.
The military side fought to put some distance between them and the Tanzanias, pulling away for 20-16 in the second quarter but their new-found momentum was just but a facade as Stein led against 23-22, bringing the match back to a see-saw with just under four minutes to play.
Stein maintained their momentum, playing for a 21-18 second quarter to carry a slight advantage (33-31) to the halftime break.
Washika's experience was well felt on resumption as he expertly marshalled his troops, barking orders on defense, his leadership getting Ulinzi's momentum going.
They capitalised on their speed for fast breaks after forcing errors on Stein for possession.
The Tanzanians put up a fight but Ulinzi were having none of it.
The Kenyan side led by double digits (47-37) for the first time in the game with 3:25 to play, forcing the Dar es Salaam semifinalists into a timeout.
There was, however, no stopping the hosts who went on a 22-10 third period.
A 21-14 final quarter sealed the victory for Ulinzi, who enjoy a day's break before completing their Group matches on Tuesday.
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