NBL Semis

Oilers 72 UCU Canons 61

(Oilers lead series 2-0)

City Oil Basketball Club are a game away from playing in their 8th consecutive final of the National Basketball League (NBL) after winning game-two, 72-61 against the UCU Canons in their best of five semifinal playoffs at YMCA, Wednesday night.

Like in their 72-64 first game win, the Oilers were once again more clinical in decisive moments picking 21 points from three-point range to UCU’s 12 and also benefited more from their opponents’ turnovers notching 25-15 points from the blunders.

Francis Azolibe scored a game-high 21 points for the 7-time champions who will look to seal the deal in game-3 on Sunday. Azolibe added 5 rebounds for his side with Tonny Drileba also picking 13 points and 6 rebounds for the record champions who led the first quarter 18-9 before taking a five-point (36-31) lead at halftime.

They had stretched that by 11 points by the end of the third and despite the fourth ending 16-16, the Oilers had already collected enough for the victory.

After losing Game-1 UCU Coach Nick Natuhereza had asked his charges to put on a better shooting display in the following game but it was only Fayed Baale that came to the party leading his side with 20 points and five rebounds in a losing effort.

Peter Sifuma’s 15 and 13 rebounds also counted for nothing and the Canons must regroup quickly and find a solution to avoid a sweep on Sunday.

“We just need to regroup because this is a series which allows us to adjust and try to be better in the next game. We need to shoot the ball better, because we had so many opportunities that we did not take both on the floor and from the free-throw line; we fluffed a number of free throws in the fourth quarter that tilted the game in their favour,” Natuhereza noted after the first game.

But the task at hand has now doubled as the Canons now have not only to win game-3, but the last two games as well.

The semifinal clash between the two sides is a replica of their 2015 and 2019 finals which the Oilers won on both occasions.

The games continue on Friday with the Nam Blazers face-off against KIU Titans and the JKL Dolphins versus KCCA Leopards in the women’s category.