City Oilers return to BAL
After winning the league, City Oilers win play at the Basketball Africa League again. PHOTO/JOHN BATANUDDE
What you need to know:
Opong shot five-for-nine from three-point range on his way to 17 points while Lual’s four-for-six rhythm saw him record 14 points.
City Oilers used a 4-0 run to qualify for Season Four of the Basketball Africa League, confirming their second straight appearance.
The Ugandan champions achieved the feat after beating Burundian side Dynamo 72-61 in the Division East Elite 16 tournament semifinal Saturday evening.
Having won all their three Group B games, Oilers went into Saturday’s clash as favourites against the Burundi outfit.
And it did not take long for Mandy Juruni’s charges to impose themselves on the game.
The nine-time National Basketball League champions started the game on the front foot and took the first quarter 19-05.
The Burundian side, however, ensured that the game remained a contest with a strong push in the second quarter, which saw them cut the deficit to seven points.
City Oilers’ lead was further sliced to a single basket in the third frame but Titus Lual and Robinson Opong were unplayable behind the arc to help the Ugandan side pull away.
Opong shot five-for-nine from three-point range on his way to 17 points while Lual’s four-for-six rhythm saw him record 14 points.
The Burundians stayed in the game, thanks to runs orchestrated by Guibert Nijimbere, Richard Ndikuriyo, Brian Irakoze and Deshaun Lamar.
No room for error
In his post-game interview, Juruni emphasized the importance of the Ugandan giants maintaining their momentum to avoid last year’s situation.
During last year’s qualifiers, City Oilers needed to win the third-place playoff to book the ticket to BAL following defeat to Cape Town Tigers in the semis.
“We really wanted to win this game. Last year we fell short at this level but we had a second chance,” Juruni noted.
“We believed in this team, I thought every game we played we kept improving and getting better,” he added.
The victory was witnessed by National Council of Sports General Secretary Bernard Patrick Ogwel and Fuba President Nasser Sserunjogi, who were part of the audience in a largely empty Ellis Park Arena.
City Oilers results
Group B
City Oilers 81-76 COSPN
JBC 71-84 City Oilers
Ferroviario da Beira 86-100 City Oilers
Semifinal
City Oilers 72-61 Dynamo
