City Oilers, Namuwongo Blazers lock horns in National Basketball League second-round opener

The second round of the National Basketball League is upon us, and what better way to start than with last season’s finalists facing off?

Defending champions City Oilers and runners-up, Namuwongo Blazers will tip off the action Friday night in a first vs. third affair at the Lugogo Indoor Stadium.

The game will come after a top-of-the-table clash between JT Lady Jaguars and JKL Lady Dolphins.

What you need to know

City Oilers ended the first round with a convincing 11-0 record and are top of the 12-team log with 11 more regular season games to play.

When the two sides met in the first round, City Oilers were without Fayed Baale and Titus Lual but went on to defeat the Blazers 57-51 in a tightly-contested affair.

Namuwongo Blazers ended the first round with an 8-3 record and third on the log.

City Oilers’ centre Titus Lual was the most efficient player in the first round, while Blazers’ forward Peter Cheng scored the most points.

Namuwongo Blazers captain Paul Odongo missed the first-round meeting between the two sides due to suspension following his comments about referees.

Oilers’ guard Ruai Luak scored a game-high 23 points and pulled down 12 rebounds to lead the charge against the Blazers.

Luak is currently with the South Sudan team that is taking part in the FIBA AFRO-CAN Qualifiers in Dar es Salam, Tanzania and will miss the game on Friday.

Similarly, forward Micheal Ngut is said to be in Ethiopia for a family engagement and is also expected to miss the game.

What the coaches say

Mandy Juruni (City Oilers)

“Our performance in the first round was good and bad. In some games, we really looked good, playing good basketball, and in others, we were the opposite.”

Stephen Nyeko (Namuwongo Blazers)

“What I can commit to is a continuous improvement as games come by.”

National Basketball League

Friday fixtures (Lugogo)

JKL Lady Dolphins vs. JT Lady Jaguars -7pm

Namuwongo Blazers vs. City Oilers -9pm