Betway Power aim to keep Oilers champagne on ice in NBL finals

Forest Of Hands. Paul Odong of Betway Power tries to find his way to the bucket against Oilers in Game 4. PHOTO BY ISMAIL KEZAALA

What you need to know:

  • Unlike the last seven years, their opponents are not KCCA Leopards the team the reigning champions swept 3-0 in the semifinals.
  • Instead its JKL Lady Dolphins who avoided the traditional giants in the earlier playoff rounds after topping the regular season with a 17-1 record.

KAMPALA. The postponement, by an extra three days of game five of the National Basketball League playoff finals between City Oilers and Betway Power has had two consequences.

After game four which the Oilers won 83-72, it seemed to have postponed the inevitable.
This is after the result left the Oilers leading the Tusker Lite best of seven series 3-1 and needing just one game to clinch a sixth straight title and equal Falcons record haul of six championships.

For Betway Power it has meanwhile granted them extra time to find a way past the Oilers against whom they have never managed more than one win in five playoff attempts.

“They always play with a positive mindset,” admitted Power coach Arnold “Mchuda” Lando, the man tasked with giving Power the technical edge.
“I believe we shall win tomorrow’s game. We’ve analyzed all our mistakes and we need to get back to what we did in game one,” Lando offered.

Power flourished with their transitional offense in game one with Joseph Ikong draining 24 points in an 85-66 run away victory.
But that seems like a long time now with the Oilers winning the subsequent three games to make light work of what was previously described as the “race for the sixth” against Power who are also on five championships.

The men’s fixture at Lugogo will come after the ladies game one with UCU Lady Canons, Uganda’s only representatives from the Zone V championship this year having returned from Tanzania after a third place finish.
Unlike the last seven years, their opponents are not KCCA Leopards the team the reigning champions swept 3-0 in the semifinals.

Instead its JKL Lady Dolphins who avoided the traditional giants in the earlier playoff rounds after topping the regular season with a 17-1 record.

NATIONAL BASKETBALL LEAGUE FINALS
TODAY - GAME FIVE (MEN)
Betway Power vs. City Oilers
(Oilers lead series 3-1), 7pm
WOMEN - GAME ONE
UCU Lady Canons vs. JKL Lady Dolphins