In a decisive victory, the City Oilers Basketball Club triumphed over the KIU Titans with a final score of 71-43. This win secures the City Oilers the top seed heading into the playoffs.
The City Oilers took an early lead, finishing the first quarter 25-7, setting the tone for the rest of the match. Despite a stronger second quarter from the Titans, where they outscored the Oilers 16-14, the City Oilers maintained their dominance throughout the game.
Titus Lual was the standout player for the City Oilers, contributing 12 points, 19 rebounds, and 3 assists, achieving an impressive index rating of 25.
His performance was instrumental in securing the victory. Malual Dier and Allawi Ssenkubuge also made significant contributions with 4 points each, while Rogers John Baptist Dauna added 6 points and 5 rebounds.
City Oilers coach Andrew Tendo praised his team’s defensive efforts and the contributions of veteran players.
“We put in a good shift when it came to defence. We got big shots from veteran players, like Ben Koma,” said Tendo.
“In response to the zonal man-to-man defence that KIU played in the second quarter, I decided to bring in a couple of shooters who were able to make the shots that were needed,” he added.
The KIU Titans struggled offensively, with their highest scorer, Ahmed Kassa, managing only 5 points. Brian Opio added 4 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists, but the Titans were unable to overcome the Oilers’ strong defence and effective playmaking.
Opio acknowledged the defensive struggles and the impact of missing key players.
“Some of the things we could’ve done better are defending. The man-to-man defence was not working, so we switched to a zonal marking,” said Opio.
“We stepped up defence in the second quarter and they were not getting easy baskets, but we were not scoring on the offensive end. Missing Joel as the number one point guard of the team, we lacked the offensive creation,” he added.
The game saw a notable play in the final period where Collins Kasujja of the Titans made a crucial steal at 00:17, but it was too late to turn the tide.
The City Oilers managed to capitalize on the Titans’ turnovers, leading to their significant margin of victory.
The top-seed position ahead of the playoffs is now for the City Oilers to lose. A win in the rest of their games would guarantee a top seed.
