St. Mary’s Kitende secured their 19th East African Schools netball championship at the 21st Federation of East Africa Secondary Schools Associations (FEASSA) Games.
This is after the netball powerhouse edged out a Kawanda SS 51-49 in extra time in the final played yesterday Monday, August 26, further cementing their dominance in the regional tournament.
The final was a see-saw battle from the start, with Kitende taking an early 11-7 lead in the first quarter.
However, Kawanda SS, making their first-ever appearance in a FEASSA final, stormed back in the second quarter to take a 21-19 halftime lead.
The third quarter remained tight, with Kawanda maintaining a slim 30-29 advantage.
As tensions mounted in the fourth quarter, both teams traded goals, finishing regulation time deadlocked at 38-38.
The additional 14 minutes of extra time proved decisive, with Kitende’s experience ultimately prevailing in the 51-49 victory.
Charles Sserugga, coach of the Kitende team, praised his players’ resilience saying, “We faced a formidable opponent in Kawanda. Their improvement over the past year has been remarkable, but our girls showed true champion spirit when it mattered most.”
This victory was particularly sweet for St. Mary’s Kitende, as they had fallen short in both the football and basketball categories in the tournament.
The win marks Kitende’s 19th title in 21 editions of the FEASSA Games, with their only misses coming in 2002 (to Gombe SS) and 2018 (to St. Noa Girls).
Meanwhile, St. Noa Girls claimed glory in the girls’ football category this year, defeating Butere Girls 1-0 in the final to reclaim the title they last won in 2022 in Arusha, Tanzania.
The 10-day FEASSA Games featured a wide array of sports, including football, rugby, basketball, handball, athletics, swimming, and more, featuring teams from Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Burundi, and Rwanda.
