City Oilers kept their title defense alive with a hard-fought 67-65 victory over JT Jaguars on Thursday night at the Lugogo Indoor Arena, completing a 2-0 sweep in the National Basketball League quarterfinals.
In the match that was live on NBS Sport, the ten-time consecutive defending champions were pushed to the limit by the regular season runners-up, but showed their trademark resilience in crunch time.
The Jaguars, who had beaten Oilers twice in the regular season, led at every interval, taking a 20-16 first-quarter advantage and stretching it to 37-31 by halftime.
The Oilers came out of the locker room with renewed intensity, opening the third quarter on a 5-0 run before trimming the deficit to three points heading into the final period.
In the closing minutes, the champions’ composure told, as they edged ahead and clung to a narrow two-point margin at the buzzer.
Kurt Wegscheider, whose eligibility the Jaguars had challenged before the playoffs, silenced the critics with a game-high 20 points.
Mer Maker added 14 while Fayed Baale chipped in with crucial plays down the stretch. The Jaguars’ resistance was led by Ian Lubwama with 14 points and George Agasi with 10, but it was not enough to extend the series.
The win completed a sweep over a side that had finished second in the standings, while the Oilers came from seventh. The result also spared them a potential Game 3 at the Jaguars’ Den in Kira on Sunday.
The Oilers will now face Sommet BC in the semifinals. Sommet swept KCCA Panthers to underline their rise as genuine contenders, setting up a thrilling best-of-five showdown with the champions.
On the same night, Namuwongo Blazers overpowered Rezlife Saints 76-61 to book their semifinal place.
The Blazers dictated the pace from the onset, leading 23-18 after the first quarter and maintaining a seven-point cushion at halftime.
Jimmy Enabu’s late three-pointer in the third quarter gave them a decisive edge, and the Saints collapsed in the final frame, managing only 10 points.
Anthony Chukwurah led the Blazers with 15 points, Enabu added 14, and Micheal Makiadi scored 11. Micheal Otieno (17) and Christopher Omanye (13) kept the Saints in contention until their late fade.
The Blazers will now await the winner of the tie between UCU Canons and Kampala Rockets, which is level at 1-1, to determine their semifinal opponent.
