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City Oilers young guns start to click
City Oilers Fayed Bbaale (R) takes on KIU's Brian Opio during in league game. PHOTO/JOHN BATANUDDE
What you need to know:
Fayed Baale, Ivan Muhwezi and Titus Lual were the easy picks to step into the roles and form the team’s leadership group for the remainder of the season.
When City Oilers lost the trio of Jimmy Enabu, James Okello and Tonny Drileba at the start of the National Basketball League second round, all eyes shifted to the remaining group to point out those next in line.
Fayed Baale, Ivan Muhwezi and Titus Lual were the easy picks to step into the roles and form the team’s leadership group for the remainder of the season.
Indeed, Muhwezi and Baale were later named captain and assistant captain respectively as the team opened a new chapter without three of their longest serving players.
Now with the regular season coming to an end, the young guns in the Oilers team have stepped up to ensure there is no focus on those that abandoned the ship along the way.
The last two games have brought the best out of players like Benjamin Kawumi, Allawi Ssenkubuge and Malual Dier, three players who have been on the fringes since joining the club.
Against Ndejje Angels, Kawumi came off the bench to pour in 21 points, collect eight rebounds and dish out five assists. Ssenkubuge added 19 points, three rebounds and three assists while Dier was one rebound short of a double-double, scoring 17 and picking nine rebounds.
Ssenkubuge maintained his form in Wednesday’s one sided 82-48 win over Livingstone as he scored 14 points. Roger Dauna joined the party with a double-double of 12 points and 12 rebounds as Oilers remained unbeaten in the second round.
“I feel like they have stepped up in productivity and that is because of the increase in minutes they are getting,” head coach Andrew Tendo told Daily Monitor.
“It is a planned effort to get them along in terms of development because they are going to be integral for us in the future,” he added.
Muhwezi and Lual scored 12 and 12 points respectively to make light work of Livingstone.
Next on the schedule is Oilers’ last game of the regular season on Friday against UCU Canons. Already confirmed as the top seed, Oilers will be out to maintain their good run of form and end the regular season on a high.
KIU Rangers, who defeated Magic Stormers 66-41 Wednesday night, will face UCU Lady Canons in the evening’s first game.
National Basketball League
Results
Women
KIU Rangers 66-41 Magic Stormers
Men
Livingstone 48-82 City Oilers
Friday -YMCA
Women
KIU Rangers vs. UCU L. Canons, 7pm
Men
City Oilers vs. UCU Canons, 9pm
