Sports
Oilers take 2-1 finals lead after claiming explosive Game 3
The City Oilers almost walked off the court in protest. In the end, they opted to stay and play under protest—and, as it turned out, they won.
City Oilers' Joel Lukoji directs traffic during Game 3 of the playoff finals against the Namuwongo Blazers at Lugogo on Sunday. Courtesy Photo/FUBA
By: Charles Mutebi, Journalist @New Vision
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National Basketball League Finals
Best-of-seven
Game 3, Results
Oilers 76 Namuwongo 72 (Oilers lead 2-1)
The City Oilers almost walked off the court in protest.
In the end, they opted to stay and play under protest—and, as it turned out, they won.
Call it a win under protest, which, if it sounds crazy, is perfectly in keeping with the dramatic and highly entertaining nature of the 2026 National Basketball League (NBL) Finals.
Patrick Rembert drained a team-high 22 points, and Germaine Roebuck grabbed 11 points and 10 rebounds as the Oilers defeated the Namuwongo Blazers 76-72 in overtime on Sunday at Lugogo, taking a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven Finals.
Titus Lual and Fayed Bbaale both scored 10 points for the Oilers, who looked headed for a victory in regulation time after Rembert converted two successive free throws to put the Oilers 63-58 up with 27 seconds to play. But three seconds later, Nyembo Fataki, who finished with a game-high 28 points, sank a three-pointer to cut the deficit to two.
Ndikumana converted one of two free throws after being fouled on the next possession to give the Oilers a three-point lead with 20 seconds left. Fataki wasn’t done. He drilled a dramatic three-pointer with two seconds left to tie the game at 63-63 apiece.
Cue the chaos.
On the next possession, Blazers’ centre Kevin Nyemeck was adjudged to foul Rembert on a three-point attempt before time expired. That, at least, was the initial call from Brian Ssebalamu, whose decision meant three free throws for Rembert, who was 5-of-6 from the line in the game.
Call it a win under protest, which, if it sounds crazy, is perfectly in keeping with the dramatic and highly entertaining nature of the 2026 National Basketball League (NBL) Finals.
Patrick Rembert drained a team-high 22 points, and Germaine Roebuck grabbed 11 points and 10 rebounds as the Oilers defeated the Namuwongo Blazers 76-72 in overtime on Sunday at Lugogo, taking a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven Finals.
Titus Lual and Fayed Bbaale both scored 10 points for the Oilers, who looked headed for a victory in regulation time after Rembert converted two successive free throws to put the Oilers 63-58 up with 27 seconds to play. But three seconds later, Nyembo Fataki, who finished with a game-high 28 points, sank a three-pointer to cut the deficit to two.
Ndikumana converted one of two free throws after being fouled on the next possession to give the Oilers a three-point lead with 20 seconds left. Fataki wasn’t done. He drilled a dramatic three-pointer with two seconds left to tie the game at 63-63 apiece.
Cue the chaos.
On the next possession, Blazers’ centre Kevin Nyemeck was adjudged to foul Rembert on a three-point attempt before time expired. That, at least, was the initial call from Brian Ssebalamu, whose decision meant three free throws for Rembert, who was 5-of-6 from the line in the game.
The call was, however, accompanied by furious protests from the Namuwongo bench and players, as well as the majority of their spectators inside the Lugogo Arena.
It was a huge moment as tempers threatened to explode. That precipitated a discussion between the three-man referee panel that also included David Ssenfuma and Baker Mandy. Moments later, Ssebalamu decided to cancel the call, indicating that the foul had happened after the clock expired.
That assuaged the Blazers and their fanbase but obviously incensed the Oilers, who rightly argued the foul happened with microseconds still on the clock.
In the ensuing delay, the Oilers seriously considered walking off the court, but deliberations convinced their management that staying in the game was the better choice, albeit doing so under protest.
It was a great show of sportsmanship from the Oilers, and the overtime highlighted an even greater piece of resilience as they outscored Namuwongo 12-8 to seal the victory.
Anthony Chukurwa finished with 11 points and 13 boards for the Blazers, with Jimmy Enabu contributing 12. Game 5 is due Friday at Lugogo.
It was a huge moment as tempers threatened to explode. That precipitated a discussion between the three-man referee panel that also included David Ssenfuma and Baker Mandy. Moments later, Ssebalamu decided to cancel the call, indicating that the foul had happened after the clock expired.
That assuaged the Blazers and their fanbase but obviously incensed the Oilers, who rightly argued the foul happened with microseconds still on the clock.
In the ensuing delay, the Oilers seriously considered walking off the court, but deliberations convinced their management that staying in the game was the better choice, albeit doing so under protest.
It was a great show of sportsmanship from the Oilers, and the overtime highlighted an even greater piece of resilience as they outscored Namuwongo 12-8 to seal the victory.
Anthony Chukurwa finished with 11 points and 13 boards for the Blazers, with Jimmy Enabu contributing 12. Game 5 is due Friday at Lugogo.