City Oilers continue to dominate pre- and post-covid-19
Even after two years without a competitive basketball season, the City Oilers are still the team to beat, having clinched their 8th championship.
The Oilers managed a 66-64 win against the league debutants, the Namuwongo Blazers.
The Blazers came into the fixture as overwhelming favorites, given the fact that they trailed 3-1 and managed to level the series 3-3, but the experience and wealth of knowledge of the Oilers came to play.
Francis Azolibe came into the game with too much vigor and drive, managed to hold up the Oilers in the game, finishing the first half with 17 points compared to Paul Odongo’s 11 points.
The presence of Tony Drileba, Ivan Muhwezi, and James Okello was felt in rebounds and assists. Azolibe ended the game on a high with 24 points and 12 rebounds, while Drileba contributed 10 points and 9 rebounds.
The Blazers’ captain, Odong, managed 16 points and 2 rebounds, while Deng Dikong scored 11 points and 8 rebounds in their losing effort.
The Oilers’ victory is not doubted, given their exposure to highly competitive basketball, such as playing Afro basketball on the African continent and club championship games, which gives them an advantage over opponents.
They know how to handle crucial moments of the game, and most importantly, they play as a team, which matters most.
The Blazers will have to work on their chemistry and learn to manage the fourth quarter better, as they have always struggled to finish off games, making many errors in the closing moments, which is always advantageous to the Oilers because they are more composed and mature.
But regardless, the Blazers did a commendable job in their first season in the NBL, and they managed to reach the finals. Surprisingly, there is no game where they have been overpowered in the series. It’s quite a huge milestone, though that’s not what they wanted to achieve.
Hopefully, they will maintain the same team and perhaps strengthen the same chemistry, and who knows, maybe they can go further next year.
The Oilers’ Drileba, Okello, Ben Komakech, and Azolibe have been the most consistent players, and they all came up big time in the endgame to help their side be crowned NBL champions.
Now that the Oilers have won 8 championships in a row, there is a need for better competition, and perhaps another champion will emerge. But who will dethrone them?
Meanwhile, in the women’s category, the UCU Lady Canons were crowned champions for the 8th time after beating JKL 75-67.
They managed to dethrone the two-time champions, the JKL Lady Dolphins, who failed to complete their mission of completing the season unbeaten despite being loaded with good players like Hope Akello, Flavia Oketcho, Brenda Ekone, and Taudencia Olouch, who was introduced from Kenya.
UCU’s Millicent Otieno was unstoppable, as she led her teammates to score in double figures with 28 points, the game-high score. Rose Akon, who was crowned the Most Valuable Player (MVP), contributed 22 points and 29 rebounds.
