Saturday, April 29, 2023

• City Oilers 70-72 Al Ahly
• Ferroviario Beira 76-101 Petro de Luanda

City Oilers were so close to registering their first BAL win but fell short to Al Ahly in the Basketball Africa League on Saturday.

The Oilers fought from down 33 points but came short of finishing the assignment by only a basket.

It was the second loss of the eight-time NBL champion who was handed a false start by Angola’s Petro de Luanda.

It was a live wire end to the game as the final play of the game nearly guided Mande Juruni’s charges past hosts Al Ahly.

The Oilers played the fourth quarter like their lives were dependent on it. They managed to score 34 points of the 70 collected in 40 minutes.

Falando Jones would have won the entertaining duel but was denied a clear sight to the hoop hence setting up Titus Lual who failed to beat the buzzer.

This was after tactician Juruni called a time-out to design the downfall of the Egyptian side with just two seconds but the attack yielded no fruit.

At full-time, there was no celebration from either side as City Oilers covered their faces in disappointment while Ah Ahly still contemplated how they survived the scare.

The Oilers will feel undone with their low conversion rate. They only scored 11 of 21 attempts on the free line. While only seven of the 24 three-point attempts fell.

Germaine Roebuck Jr topped Uganda’s scoring chart with 28 points as Falando and James Justice Jr added 15 and 11 respectively.

Next on the menu for City Oilers is SLAC on Tuesday as they seek their maiden win at the grand continental stage.

City Oilers fell to Angola’s Petro De Luanda in an 89-71 loss on their BAL debut on Thursday night.

It was a rough start for the eight-time National Basketball Champions but Tonny Drileba noted a number of positives that the team can build from going forward.

“Considering we have not played together for a while we did relatively ok,” Drileba told the press after the game.

“We had a very good first half but let the game go in the second half we gave away a number of offensive rebounds that swung the game.”

The Oilers had a slow start failing to score after six trials. However, they later picked their souls up and put up a great show limiting the deficit to three by halftime (42-39).

“We later found ourselves in foul trouble early which sent them on the line for free points, that’s how they got away from us in the third quarter.”

“They are the most ranked team, so for us to get there and play such a game I think there are several positives to take home. I think there are several lessons to take and hopefully, we can do better in the coming game.”

“It’s not over because we have four games to go. Taking the positives and lessons from this we shall go back and watch the film and am sure we shall play much better,” he concluded.

Generally, the Oilers’ performance was fair and it gives hope to a Ugandan at home that they can still make it to the chosen four that will play in the playoffs that will be held in Kigali next month.

Falando Jones topped the scoring card with 22 points ahead of James Justice and Titus Odeke who had 20 and 10 respectively.

Mande Juruni’s charges will be back in action on Saturday (tomorrow) as they lock horns with hosts Al Ahly who won their first game against Mozambique’s CFV Beira.

Thursday, April 27, 2023

• SLAC vs Cape Town
• Petro Atletico vs City Oilers

City Oilers captain James Okello is confident that they have enough in their arsenal to register a perfect start to the Basketball Africa League (BAL).

The eight-time Uganda champions will take on last year’s BAL finalists Petro Atletico de Luanda in the first game of their maiden show at BAL.

“Since we touched down in Egypt, it’s been working as we prepare for our opening game. We have had great sessions that have helped us find a combination and rhythm as a team,” Okello told the club media.

“The new guys that joined us are doing well and are coping with the team. The chemistry is great and we are ready for tomorrow’s game. It’s been a dream to play at such a level and we can not wait to get underway,” he added.

According to Okello, it’s not all about City Oilers as a club but more about representing Uganda and doing what it takes to see that lift the black-yellow-red flag as high as possible.

“We call upon all Ugandans to rally behind the team and push the boys. We are here to support the represent Uganda, We are here to represent 256 so I call everyone to come on board and help us achieve the set target, he concluded.

Mandy Juruni’s side has been tremendous back home winning all the 10 games played at home and will seek to extend the alluring form to the biggest stage in Africa.

They have beefed up the squad and their 12-man roster reads; James Justice Jr, Jones Fallando, Germain Roebuck, AdulKarim Ghedi, Edrine Walujjo, James Okello, Titus Lual, Fayed Bbaale, Ivan Muwhwezi, Jimmy Enabu and Tony Drileba.

The Oilers are the first team from Uganda to play at the BAL and the target will be securing a spot in the top four of the Nile Conference so that they qualify for the playoffs that will be held at the Kigali Arena, Rwanda in May (21-28).

Sunday, April 23, 2022

Women

• KIU Rangers 94-32 A1 Challenge
• Nkumba 35-59 UCU

Men

• UCU Canons 90-80 KCCA Panthers
• KIU Titans 78-53 Kampala Rockets
• Rezlife Saints 54-48 UPDF Tomahawks

UCU Canons registered their third victory after edging KCCA Panthers 90-80 in the National Basketball League at the MTN Arena, Lugogo on Sunday.

Jimmy Otim was exceptional in guiding UCU Canons to their third win in a row. The Mukono-base side has recently won against JKL Dolphins, Power and KCCA Panthers.

Otim led the charge scoring a game-high of 25 points, picking four rebounds and four assists in the 33 minutes he spent on the floor.

By half time the Panthers were trailing by 11 (46-35) in a closely contested game.

In the third quarter, the Panthers cut the deficit to seven after carding (22-18) in that specific block.

But in the last quarter, UCU were on the front foot carding (26-23) extending the gap to the end for a final 90-80 score.

Jerry Kayanga and Joel Kayiira scored 17 and 14 respectively to ensure the Canons take the win home.

Salim Kisilu and Martin Buluma Ouma scored 16 each and Emmanuel Ateng added 13 for the Panthers.

The Canons benefited from the bench that posted 38 points, ensuring a smooth flow of player rotation.

In the next games, Canons take on Rez Life Saints while KCCA Panthers will lock horns with KIU Titans.

Prior to the signing of a three-year partnership at the 19th hole between MTN Uganda and Entebbe Club, there were 18 holes played under rainy conditions at the par-71 Entebbe Golf Course.

Edward Kabuchu and Diana Nabukenya were overall and women’s winners respectively as the MTN Monthly Tees got underway on Saturday, 22nd April.

Kabuchu scored 63 nett to top the large field as the overall winner.

Tony Kisadha won Group A with 68 nett, a stroke ahead of Patrick Ndase (69) who was the runners-up.

Ronald Osekeny topped Group B with 68 nett, beating Micheal Monne on countback.

In the Ladies’ Category, Nabukenya was outstanding with 71 nett, beating Rita Akot Apell by two strokes.

The seniors (55 years and above) were topped by Dr Kato Ssebaale with 71 nett and Emmanuel Wamimbi was the best guest performer with 67 nett.

MTN Uganda and Entebbe Club officially entered into a three-year partnership on Saturday, 22nd April 2023.

The agreement signed electronically will see the par-71 course host a monthly tournament called The MTN Monthly Tee, the first of which was played earlier on Saturday.

“MTN Uganda is thrilled to partner with the Entebbe Club to boost golf development and promote the spirit of engagement with the golfing community in Uganda,” Sylvia Mulinge, the CEO of MTN Uganda, said at the 19th hole.

“The Monthly Tee events present the perfect opportunity to make new friends, showcase Uganda’s golf talent, and build our relationships with the community,” she added.

As part of the partnership, MTN Uganda will also support the building of a halfway rest house as well as the refurbishment of the Entebbe Club House.

“We believe that this infrastructure support together with the sponsorship of the MTN Monthly Tee demonstrates our belief that when we work together, we are unstoppable in our quest for excellence in whatever we do,” Mulinge noted.

Jacob Byaruhanga, the chairperson of Entebbe Club, thanked MTN for the sponsorship and highlighted the principles of the club.

“I want to thank MTN for coming and partnering with us. MTN and Entebbe Club are in this for the long haul and our partnership will not have any losers. Our principles are inclusion, community and socialization,” Byaruhanga said.

Founded in 1901, Entebbe Club is East and Central Africa’s oldest golf facility.

Friday, April, 21

Men

• UCU Canons 81-50 Dmark Power

Women

• UKIU Rangers 63-66 UCU Lady Canon

UCU Canons registered a second win in a row for the first time in the ongoing National Basketball League campaign.

This came after they thumped DMark Power 81-50 in a one-sided encounter at MTN Arena on Friday.

Power faced their second loss on a bounce after falling to the newly promoted Kampala Rockets earlier.

Jerry Kayanga stood out as Timothy Odeke’s troops struggled to handle the former’s athleticism.

UCU got off the mark with a 24-09 lead after the first quarter and they kept roaring into the second quarter and went into the break with a comfortable lead of 48-20.

After recess, Canons utilised their bench and by the end of the third quarter, Power was trailing by 35 (69-34).

Power lifted their spirits in the final block of the duel to card a 16-12 run but it was not enough to impact the result.

Kayanga impressed with a game-high of 21 points followed by Jimmy Otim and Peter Sifuma who registered 16 and 12 points respectively.

For Power, Guellord Mobanza gathered 12 points while Samad Imran collected 11 points.

The record National Basketball League (NBL) champions City Oilers revealed their roster ahead of the Basketball Africa League (BAL).

The roster is made up of 12 players and includes four foreigners.

The four foreigners are Germaine Roebuck, William Ngor and Fallando Jones who were part of the squad during the qualifiers and James Justice Jr.

Among the new entrants is Abdulhakim Ghedi, the son of the manager. Ghedi’s size and experience will be tremendous to a side making its debut a BAL.

The other players on the roster are James Okello, Jimmy Enabu, Ivan Muhwezi and Tonny Drileba who have been with the side for a while.

New signings Edrine Walujjo, Fayed Bbaale and Titus Lual have put up a great show in the local league hence earning themselves an entry on the roaster.

The City Oilers will be competing in the Nile Conference alongside SLAC (Guinea), CFV Beria (Mozambique), Petro De Luanda (Angola), Cape Town Tigers (South Africa) and Al Ahly (Egypt).

They will tussle it out in Cairo, Egypt starting April 26 until May 6 for a place in the playoffs that will be played at. the BK Arena in Kigali, Rwanda late in May.

City Oilers Roaster

• James Justice Jr
• Fallando Jones
• William Ngor
• Germaine Roebuck
• Abdulhakim Ghedi
• Edrine Walujjo
• James Okello
• Titus Lual
• Fayed Bbaale
• Ivan Muhwezi
• Tonny Drileba
• Jimmy Enabu

UCU Canons registered a 57-47 victory against JKL Dolphins in the National Basketball League at MTN Arena Lugogo on Wednesday.

It was the second win for the Mukono-based side who had only registered one win in the last four outings.

UCU hard a great start to the game making a run of 15-5 with 1:44 to play in the first quarter. The edge gave them a lead of 16-5 at the end of the quarter.

Thanks to the pressure defense from the Dolphins, they limited the damage allowing UCU to score only 13 as they gathered 23 in the second quarter.

By half time, it was a three point game (31-28) and it was game on, giving either side a chance to keep believing.

However, JKL were a shadow of themselves as they failed to bring the fight in the second half of the duel. They only managed seven points in the third quarter and six in the foruth quarter.

At full time, it was 57-41 and JKL’s search for a second win of the season extends further.

Ibanda Lwabaga and Kevin Kasobya scored in double figures for UCU, carding 14 and 13 respectively while Peter Sifuma and Rogers Dauna also registered 15 and 10 rebounds.

On the other hand, Denis Tom Omar had 12 points while Derrick Katumba manned the paint with 18 rebounds.

The victory keeps UCU in eighth position while JKL are 10th on the 12-teamed log.

Results | Wednesday April 19

• Men: UCU Canons 57-41 JKL Dolphins
• Women: JT Lady Jaguars 78-40 Miracle Eaglets

The Uganda Netball National team, She Cranes, started their none residential training at Kamwokya Centre ahead of 2023 World Cup preparations on Monday.

After the end of the evening training session, She Cranes head coach Fred Tabale said there is a need for players to increasse their fitness levels.

“I am glad that we have started training. But the fitness levels are still still lacking. We are not badly off but because at least they have been playing in the in the league,“ he told the press.

“Yes for the league it works but at the global level we request for more. We shall work even harder to see that we push the levels a-bit higher,“ he added.

Only 18 players of the 27 local based summoned players turned up. Mugerwa said he is confident in a little while it will be a full house of ladies ready to raise the country’s flag.

“We are need to improve the ladies and this comes with achieved by working on their combinations, movement because they come from different clubs,” he concluded.

She Cranes have less than two months to prepare for the World Cup the kicks off in July this year.

Uganda are in Group D with New Zealand, Trinidad and Singapore.