With just 1.3 seconds on the clock, and the game hanging in the balance, George William Agassi stood alone at the free-throw line. The crowd was on edge. The scoreboard read 55–54. The Kampala Rockets had fought, clawed, and even led. But in that moment, it was one man’s calm against the storm.
Snr. Writer | July 21, 2025 | 03:22 EAT
It was a game of runs and resolve. The Rockets held a seven-point lead in the first quarter, but the JT Jaguars roared back in the second, cutting the deficit to just one at halftime. The third quarter belonged entirely to the Jaguars, who outscored the Rockets 16–9 behind lockdown defense and a three-point barrage from Aaron Eboyu, who came off the bench hot and finished with a game-high 19 points on 4-for-7 shooting from beyond the arc. He also doubled as the top scorer of the game with 19 points followed by Peter Sifuma with 11 points and 11 rebounds.
The fourth quarter was chaos. The Jaguars entered the quarter with a six point lead, but a quick 5–0 run by the Rockets closed the gap, and when Coach Sudi to rested Chuma and Sifuma, that gave the Rockets a size advantage, which they used to attack mismatches and draw fouls, and yes it worked for them. With still over six minutes remaining, the Jaguars were already in foul trouble, but the Rockets struggled to capitalize from the line. They only went 19-out-of- 31 from the free throw which was so fortunate for the JT Jaguars.
Still, they tied the game at 52 with just over two minutes left. Every possession turned critical. Puati Kikomba gave the Rockets a late lead from the stripe, but just as Opio was driving the ball, Cuma stole it passing it to Duncan who made an aggressive drive to tie the game at 54. With 27 seconds left, the Rockets called a time out, and advanced the ball to front court but Puati failed to convert. Sifuma grabbed the rebound, passed it to Eboyu, who lost the ball in a critical turnover. That gave the Rockets another shot, but they missed again, and Sifuma was whistled for an unsportsmanlike foul.
Edward Mugabo made just one of four free throws in the final seconds, giving the Rockets a slim 55–54 lead. After a timeout by Coach Sudi, the Jaguars inbounded with 7 seconds to go. A foul on Duncan brought and another inbound. This time, the ball found George Agassi—who, to be fair, isn’t known for his range beyond the arc. But with just 1.3 seconds on the clock, there wasn’t much else to think about. Christian Ndibu was draped all over him, pressuring aggressively to force a backcourt violation. Agassi felt the contact and instinctively pulled up for a wild shot—not with hopes of making the basket, but to draw the foul and earn a trip to the line for a potential three-point play.
Though referee Brian hadn’t caught it, Anita who had positioned farther away had seen it. And while the distance may have raised questions, the decision was made strictly by the rulebook, not just by sight. Agassi had been fouled while in the act of attempting a shot, and the call stood.
Under pressure, George missed the first but buried the second to tie the game, and the third to seal it at 55-56
The Jaguars now stand at two wins in their last four and face the Spartans on Friday in a must-win game with playoff implications.