Well, I guess a sweep is out of the question ( this is a joke)

In Game 2 of the WNBL Finals, the JKL Lady Dolphins sent a loud statement that they aren’t finished, beating the JT Lady Jaguars 52–38. Our best players had single digits: Aziida Lubega and Sarah Ageno combined for 7 points. But Brenda Ekone was once again on the charts with 14 points, while Akello had 16 points — and just like that, we couldn’t win Game 2.

If you asked me, there were three main reasons we lost this game:

  1. We started the game with 6 points and ended it with 6 — a slow start and finish, just when we needed to step on the gas.
  2. A very poor shooting night for the team (2-25)
  3. I don’t think we were really intentional about Game 2 because, for the first time in history, we were limited to fewer than 40 points in a game.

Rhoda (1 point, 4 rebounds) and Shakira (2 points, 5 assists), who played great in Game 1, came out flat in Game 2. After starting quite hot toward the end of the first quarter, Rhoda cooled off significantly with missed layups and free throws. Brenda didn’t look quite right in her minutes today, and outside of Aziida, the Jaguars’ bench didn’t really deliver.
The first quarter got off to a slow start. After a couple of missed shots and a sluggish offense, I couldn’t even say that JKL was defending that much — we just couldn’t get the ball in the basket. Coach Sudi made a couple of substitutions to bring in Brenda and Rhoda, who made two points and one free throw respectively, to push the team up to 6 baskets against JKL’s 11 to end the first quarter.

The silver lining came in the second quarter. The Jaguars became intentional and started having good looks. The Lady Jaguars regained their composure with a better start to the second quarter, committing fewer turnovers. With JKL feeding the ball to Akello (hehe), the team was able to bridge the gap. Sangare Bai continued to play loosely with the ball, but she made up for it with a couple of steals. Brenda Kayaga floated a jump shot to start the second, which was immediately answered by Brenda Ekone. Mary Priscilla’s jumper was countered by Shadia Nasanga — and that’s how the quarter went, punch for punch. The Jaguars made 18 points against JKL’s 17; they were just not ready to give up the lead, especially after the damage caused in the first quarter.

In the 3rd quarter, all JKL had to do was maintain the lead since they realized that the lady Jaguars had caught a fire. The Jaguars made 8 points against 10 for the Dolphins. Hope Akello (16 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists) continued her playmaking and paint domination, which fueled JKL’s offense. She wants to prove why she was the regular-season MVP, especially given that they were down in the series. The JKL Dolphins extended their lead to 6 behind a 10–4 run.

The last quarter was similar to the first. We managed just 6 points when we needed to bridge the gap but couldn’t. The Lady Jaguars continued to turn the ball over and couldn’t get shots to fall from beyond the arc, and The Lady Jaguars will need to figure out a lot before they can expect their first title. They can’t keep scoring single-digit points in a quarter and expect to win. They also need to limit turnovers — this has been true all playoffs long: turn the ball over, and you lose. Sangare had 5, Shakira had 5, and Rhoda had 3. As a team, the Lady Jaguars turned it over 18 times. Unacceptable.

But let’s try not to let that loss discourage our spirits. It’s a seven-game series, and now it’s 1–1. Game 3 hits your TV Tuesday night at 7:00 p.m. as both teams battle for a 2–1 lead in this best-of-seven series.
Lady Jaguars in 5 is still alive!