Sleek Oilers cruise into ninth place
CAIRO.
It’s been a month since City Oilers last won a basketball game – perhaps their longest period without a coveted ‘W’ in their five year existence, bar the offseason.
Their last victory until yesterday’s, at the Fiba Africa Club Champions’ Cup, had come against UCU Canons, a 75-71 result on November 13 to finish their semifinals with a convincing 3-0 series sweep.
While that took them to a fourth successive National Basketball League final, their latest, an 88-69 rout of Cameroon’s Nzui-Manto, made them the ninth best team in Africa.
Over the last month, or three weeks to be exact, City Oilers lost two warm-up games and four at the ongoing Champions’ Cup which ends tomorrow here in Cairo, Egypt.
That result capped a historic but less than satisfying seven days where the three-time defending Uganda league champions ably competed with the continent’s elite and came up just short.
Struggling for motivation after missing out of the quarterfinals, coach Mandy Juruni had earlier told the media that he wanted his team “to be the ninth best team in Africa” afterall.
Like they had appeared in their losses to Algeria’s G.S.P, Morocco’s AS Sale and Cameron’s BEAC, Oilers seemed like they deserved better than an early morning ninth place playoff contest.
Guard Ben Komakech got going early at the King Abdallah Faisal Arena, Al Ahly club gymnasium to finish with 17 points, 10 assists and four steals. Stanely Ociti fouled out after a 19-point and seven-rebound foray for the regional Fiba Africa Zone V Club champions.
Kami Kabange scored 16 and seven boards with Jimmy Enabu contributing 14 and six assists in a game in which the sleek Oilers were fully in charge from the whistle to the buzzer.
This was by far their most efficient performance following a rest day when players visited the famous pyramids in Giza.
Sadly, for Juruni, he wanted it 48 hours earlier, in that loss to BEAC. “I know our abilities and we could have played better before today (yesterday),” he told Daily Monitor.
Indeed it came late. With exception to the 44-98 mauling at the hands of Angola’s RCD Libolo, Oilers pushed G.S.P and AS Sale close before losing 77-69 and 83-72 respectively.
You could even argue that they snatched defeat from the jaws of victory, missing three out of four free throws in the final minute of regulation to lose 67-65 to BEAC in overtime.
However, Juruni and the club’s management will know a deeper bench would have helped much.
Often the physical demands of the tournament took their toll on the side. “It’s been a good lesson for everyone. We had never been here and we will take it with a pinch,” team manager Mohammed Santur noted.
9/10TH PLACE PLAYOFF
Yesterday’s result
Oilers 88-69 Nzui-Manto
