Baale not sounding Oilers alarm bells but slide continues

The first round of the National Basketball League is nearing completion and the City Oilers must be eager to catch a break.

With one game left against UCU Canons, reinforcements  seem a must to boost an Oilers roster that on Sunday lost for the fifth time in 10 outings after a 53-50 defeat to Kampala Rockets at YMCA Court in Wandegeya.

This followed earlier losses against Namuwongo Blazers, KCCA Panthers, JT Jaguars and JKL Dolphins.

One has to stretch back to their debut season in 2013 to recall the last time the Oilers lost five games or more in the regular season.

Then the Kami Kabange-led side finished with a 15-7 record to finsh as fifth seeds behind KIU, Warriors, UCU and Power.

But with their current form, a significant improvement is needed to avoid a worse record with the second round yet to come.

Despite their current state,  Oilers captain Fayed Baale refuses to press the panic button insisting performances have not been as bad as some of the results suggest.

"I dont worry about anything , I know we shall be okay once we get in rhythm. We have many new players and to fit in it will take some time. I am glad we keep on playing better each game so i believe we are on the right track," Baale insisted.

A slow start on Sunday saw them trail by as many as 15 points midway through the second quarter and were down 10 going into the third quarter.

And while they wiped out that lead to trail just 41-40 going into the final quarter, the Oilers failed to close out the game down the stretch.

Jeff Mpiya led with 16 points and 13 rebounds and Puati Kikomba added 12 points and 16 boards for the Rockets who are now coached by former Oilers guard Daniel Juuko 'Najja' .

For the Oilers, only Edgar Munaaba reached double figures scoring a team-high 16 points and picking 10 rebounds.

He gave the Oilers a 50-47 lead with 1.30 minutes lefts but did not score again with veteran Ben Komakech missing a game-tying three pointer with two seconds left.

 "We just need to be on the same page and play as a team. We are struggling to share the ball which I think we need to improve on," Baale further offered.

Sunday's results leave the Oilers with a 5-5 record while the Rockets completed their first round games with a 7-4 record.

 The latter are at least among the four teams that will finish the first round with a better record than the Oilers.